Opie's Second Shot
by Obsessive Reader22
Summary: After her first failed attempt, and her life continuing to go to shit, Opie decides to make the call. Hopefully, it won't end up like the last time. *READ "Opie's Visit to Trenton" for reference.* I need feedback to know whether or not I should continue. Rated for future content..you know me. I love smut.
1. Chapter 1

**Years ago I wrote a short called 'Opie's visit to Trenton'. This is kind of a sequel. If you haven't read her first visit, you might want to. Read..review.**

 _ **"Remember…call me when you want to come again."**_

 _ **"I will. Thank you Diesel." I said, before the whole room disappeared and I slipped into unconsciousness.**_

I slowly flipped the white card around over and over in my hands, staring at the lettering as I replayed our last conversation. I had been over a year since I was thrust in the fantasy world of Plum by Diesel. If it weren't for the card, and the text message (which still sat in my saved messages file) I would have thought that I had just hallucinated the entire situation.

My name is Ophelia Cummings, Opie for short. I retired last year from the military, after a very rough deployment, to find my husband had spent all the money, trashed the house and took up with some slut he met at the bar. My credit had been shot by his recklessness and I was in the process of being evicted from my rat hole apartment. The divorced barely finalized and I was already sunk to my knees in debt, and depression. The only thing I had to my name was the Camaro that I had secretly paid off during the last deployment, a trunk full of clothes and an "I love me" binder with my DD214 laminated on the first page.

I was getting my mothly retirement, which wasn't a lot. I didn't have a job, and because the only job I ever head didn't qualify me for anything within my educational background I was stuck in the endless cycle of "no experience no job; no job no experience".

"Fuck it." I shook my head and pulled out phone. "I have nothing to lose."

The phone rang three times before going to voicemail.

"Figures." I thunked my head against the steering wheel. "Well, might as well get some sleep." Curling into the back seat, and locking the doors. I don't know what I am going to do, or where I am going to go but tomorrow is a new day. I pulled the blanket and pillow out and snuggled down, falling into a deep sleep.

*CLICK CLICK CLICK* A metallic sound reverberating throughout the inside of my car.

"Miss?" A deep voice followed.

I slowly opened my eyes, untangling myself from the blanket and looked at the man tapping my car window. Shit…it's a cop.

"Sorry." I called out, crawling over into the front seat and flicking the car to Auxiliary, then rolling down the windows. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize I had slept so long. I'll just move along."

"Ma'am. I need you to step outside of the car, please." The cop was wearing crisp blues, his buttons and badge shining in the morning sun. He was mid-thirties and looked vaguely familiar. He pulled the mirrored sunglasses down to show soft hazel eyes. "Ma'am?"

"Oh, sorry." I slipped my keys into my pocket and grabbed my wallet out of my purse. Opening the door I scrambling out of the car, slipping on the curb and landing ass up on the sidewalk. "What the fuck?" I whispered. I had parked in the back parking lot of a truck stop right outside of Lansing, Michigan last night. This was NOT Michigan.

"Have you been drinking, Ma'am." Large hands gently wrapped around my arms and pulled me to my feet. He looked into my eyes, assessing my well-being.

"No." I shook my head, and looked around. "Where am I?"

"Hamilton Ave." He quirked an eyebrow. "Ma'am are you sure you're okay?"

"Yea..yea..I'm okay." He watched me closely as released my hands. "Hmmm…What city?"

"Trenton….New Jersey." He pulled out his radio. "Why don't we try to get you some help."

"Wait…" I pressed the palm of my hand into my forehead. "I'm sorry officer. I was just groggy after falling asleep. Of course I know where I am. Umm…isn't there a deli around here?"

"Yep." He smiled. "Giovichinnis is just a block down. I was on my way there for lunch. I can walk you down there if you would like."

"Sure." I smiled and pulled my purse out from the front seat, stuffed my wallet into it and locked up the doors. "I appreciate it."

"I haven't seen you around here." The cop said as we began our walk down the sidewalk. "My name is Steve. Steven Olmney."

"That sounds familiar. I'm Opie Cummings." I said, pulling out my cellphone. I sent Diesel a quick text. "I am not from here. I am just here visiting I guess." I sighed. "Actually, I am not really sure why I am here. The last time I was here, it wasn't a very pleasant experience."

"Well, this city can be a pain in the ass, Opie." He chuckled. "But it's a good place, with good people."

I laughed. "Yeah, not the ones that I met."

"Who were you here to visit?" He asked, pointing to the left as we reached the corner. "It's just down here."

"I don't know." I sighed, pushing my phone back into my pocket. "The only ones that were nice to me was Morelli and Constanza." I laughed, pushing the hair out of my face.

"No shit." Steve said, pushing his hand through his hair laughing. We stopped in front of small deli, and he pulled the door open and gestured me in. "They usually go to Pino's for lunch. They have good food, but I can't eat all that crap all the time."

"I don't even know if they would remember me." I laughed, making my way to the counter. My phone beeped. I quickly scooped out my phone. "Oh Thank God." A rush of relief. Diesel text me back.

'CALL ME.' Was all that it read.

"Excuse me a moment, please." I smiled and Steve nodded. I quickly called, and was thankful he picked up on the first ring.

"Opie!" Diesel's voice rang through. "Where are you at?"

"Giovichinnis." I sighed out.

"I'll be there in 5 minutes. Get me a sandwich, will ya?" And he disconnected. I shoved my phone back into my pocket and strolled up to Steve. He smiled and tilted his head towards the menu.

"So, you said my name sounded familiar?" He asked, walking up the counter. "I'd like salami on a hard roll; a small order of pasta salad and a bottle of water, please."

"It's hard to say how it sounds familiar. Maybe from Morelli." I waved it off and ordered a couple sandwiches and a pasta salad and 2 bottles of water. "How do you fit in the whole thing?" I asked Steve as we waited for our orders.

"Well, I went to school with Morelli. He was a couple years older than me, but everyone knew who he was." His order came up, and he pulled up close to me. "Would it be inappropriate for me to give you my number? I think that I would love to see you again."

"No. I would like that." I blushed, a rush of excitement and nervous heat coursed through me. He handed me his card and patted my arm as he said goodbye.

"Picking up guys already?" Diesel's voice purred into my ear. I swung around and came face to chest with him. His arms wrapped around me and lifted me off my feet. "I missed you, kiddo."

"Diesel." I laughed, wrapping my arms around his neck. "I have been contemplating calling you for months."

"You should have called me sooner." He squeezed me again, before setting me back down and tipping my chin up to look at him. "I knew that you were going through some shit, but I am not allowed to cross without permission."

"How did you get there the first time?" I asked, looking up into his beautiful green eyes.

"Well, I don't always play by the rules, but lately I have been under some pretty intense scrutiny." He smirked and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "Let's get you someplace to stay. I actually have a favor to cash in, and I think it might just be the excitement that you need."

The woman behind the counter called my name, and handed me a paper bag with the food that I had ordered. Diesel grabbed it and tossed a $100 bill into her tip jar. She gaped at him.

"Let's go, Opie." He hooked his arm around my shoulders and lead me outside and to my car. "Can I drive?"

"Sure." I fished out my keys and unlocked the doors with the remote. Diesel unhooked himself and opened the passanger door. When I got in, he handed me the bag of food and ran around to the driver's seat.

"Opie…" He looked into the backseat when he got in. "You really should've called me sooner."

"I wasn't entirely sure that you were real, and honestly the last trip was totally FUBAR." I leaned back as he took off down the street, hooked a left and stopped three blocks down. I looked up at the large brick building. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Yep." Diesel grinned, parking in the parking lot and crawling out the car. I followed, and took his hand as he held it out to me. "Don't worry. Steph is great. She really is the type of girl that you just can't help but fall in love with. She can help us get you settled and give a place to say for a little bit."

I looked around at the parking lot, looking to see if I could spot whatever POS car that Stephanie was currently driving. I smiled, noticing the rusted out explorer next to the dumpster. The exterior looked like it was spray painted with whatever colors were left in someone's garage. I jumped slightly as Diesel locked the Camaro until it honked twice.

We rode the elevator up to the second floor and walked down until we came to apartment 215. I took a deep breath as he knocked on the door. A small shriek, a thund, a couple of creatively used swear words came through the door before it was ripped open. There, standing in front of us, was Stephanie Plum.

She was exactly like the books had described. She was a couple inches shorter than me with brown curly hair twisted up in a messy ponytail. She was not tiny like I had always imagined, but looked had an average build. She was wearing a girl cut t-shirt comfortable blue jeans and sneakers.

"Oh god." She groaned, her shoulders slumping. "Jesus, Diesel, what do you want?"

"That's not a very nice way to greet me." He swept her up in a bear hug, her feet dangling off the floor. She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You know you missed me, Kid."

"I did miss you." She straightened her shirt as he placed her on his feet. "But usually when you arrive, chaos follows."

"Not this time." Diesel reached back, took my hand and pulled me into the apartment. Stephanie looked at me quizzically, her eyebrow trying to raise. "Steph, this is Opie. She is a very good friend of mine."

"Nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand. I took it and shook it.

"Nice to finally meet you too." I smiled, looking up at Diesel. "This guy sure has a lot of stories to tell you you."

"It wasn't my fault." She began, before smiling and giggling. "Okay, maybe not all the time, but usually it's not my fault."

"Actually, you have always been laid out in a very good light." Our hands dropped, and we stood in an awkward silence. Rocking back on my heels I looked up at Diesel. "So…..what now oh mighty man of mystery?"

Diesel shut the apartment door and drug me into the living room, Stephanie following. He sat, pulling me next to him and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. Steph pulled up a seat on the small coffee table in front of the couch, which squeaked and shook slightly before settling under her weight.

"Steph." Diesel began, keeping my hand in his and setting it on his lap. "Opie here didn't have a very good visit the last time that she was here. In fact, Batboy almost got his ass kicked because of it."

"Shit, what did he do now?" She rolled her eyes.

"He confined me, interrogated me and pretty much assaulted me, at least verbally." I spoke snidely, the wound still fresh. "Even his men were assholes."

"That sounds like Ranger." She chuckled and shook her head. "I'm sorry that he did that to you. He is a paranoid asshole that is for sure."

"I am going to be meeting with him tomorrow, but she needs a place to stay until I can get her settled." Diesel was rubbing the skin between my thumb and index finger. "She would be a great asset to Rangeman, and even though she is still pretty pissed off at their behavior…it's where she would rather be."

"No problem." She smiled, putting her hand on my knee. "You look like you are defeated. What happened?"

"I got back from deployment last year, and was forced to medically retire. When I got home, my bastard ex husband had emptied not only our bank accounts, but everything in the house was sold. He used the money to take his new woman on a cruise around the world. I finally got a divorce finalized, but the judge agreed with him that I was negligent and needed to not only pay him alimony, but money to pay for him to get resettled." Swallowing the lump that was forming in my throat, I sniffed. "I thought that he and I were going to be together forever. Unfortunately, he was just using me for my money, benefits and abusing the fact that I wasn't around much."

"That fucking ass!" She cried out. "My ex husband was an asshole too."

"Yeah..I know." I sniffed again, pushing down the emotions that were threatening to come out. "Dickie was more than just a name, it was who he was."

"How did you.." She started, then looked at Diesel before realization hit her. "Are you Unmentionable?"

"No." I laughed. "I wish. I am just plain old me."

"Well." She stood, putting her hands on her hips. "You know what…you need to go out and have some fun. Don't let that asshole ex husband keep you down. How about if I call my friend Lula, and we can hit up one of the new nightclubs down town? Kind of a like a celebration of your new start. Then tomorrow we can take Ranger on."

"That sounds like fun." I smiled. "I don't have anything really to wear."

"You leave that to me."

Diesel and I ate our sandwiches as Stephanie and Lula, who was called over shortly after Stephanie suggested our night out, went through her closet. While I am a few inches taller than Stephanie, we were pretty much the same size. Well, except for the fact that my boobs were a few cups sizes larger. Lula and I had the same size feet, and she had brought a ton of FMP heels as well as various accessories and make up.

"I am getting kind of nervous." I said, shoving the last bit of my sandwich into my mouth. "I am NOT a girly girl, and they seem to be throwing around stuff that I don't even know how to use."

"You will be fine." He chuckled and slugged me softly on the shoulder. "I am going to run down and get your stuff out of the car."

"Do you need any help?" I began clearing the sandwich paper and napkins off my lap to go with him.

"Nope." He pointed at the hallway. "They are going to start your transformation. Plus, I can handle it. It's not like you have a lot."

"Yeah." I shook my head. "I don't have shit."

"Opie?" Steph's voice rang through the hall from the bedroom. I stood, grabbing my bottle of water and taking a swig as I leaned against the door frame.

"Oh my god, girl. You are gonna be fucking hot!" Lula exclaimed, clapping her hands and jumping up and down. My eyes widened as her voluptuousness threatened to pop out of the lycra that was straining to maintain itself. The bed was littered with a mountain of clothing.

"You need to get into the shower." Steph took my elbow as she walked past me, dragging me into the bathroom. She dug around underneath the sink pulling out a new razor and a spare pouf. Handing them to me, she pulled a towel from the small linen closet outside of the bathroom.

"Thanks, Steph." I smiled. "I haven't had a real shower since I was evicted."

"Girl, how's your lady bits looking?" Lula's voice echoed from the bedroom. "Make sure that you tidy that shit up, you never know who's gonna be visiting, if you know what I mean."

"Oh god." I put my head in my hand, and Stephanie blushed.

"Well, I will just let you get to it." Steph left the bathroom and closed the door.

I looked in the mirror. I looked tired, and disheveled. My hair was a knotted mess of auburn curls wrapped into a bun on the top of my head. My skin, thankfully, was clear of blemishes but was still pasty and freckled. My eyes were bright green lined with thick eyelashes. I lifted my shirt over my head, noticing the weight that I had lost. Pushing off my sandals and shorts I stood in my underwear in front of the mirror.

The door opened and Diesel came in carrying my bathroom bag under his arm. He grinned and closed the door.

"Jesus, Diesel." I ground out, not bothering to cover myself. Years of being deployed and in training had made modesty nonexistent. I took the bag from him and pulled out my things. I was grateful for Stephanie offering me a razor and pouf, but frankly I felt better using my own things. "Thanks."

"No problem." He purred, looking me up and down. "Damn woman, why would you hide all that under those frumpy tshirts."

"Because of looks like that." I pointed at his face. I slipped into the shower with my things and closed the curtain, tossing my bra and panties over the curtain. "What's the plan tomorrow?"

"You have no fear." Diesel chuckled.

"Focus."

"Oh right. Well, tonight I will come out with you guys. I am not comfortable just having you run around alone without me talking to Ranger. Tomorrow, we will head over to Rangeman and kick his ass and tell him why you should be there."

"Do you really think that he is just going to roll over?" I lathered up my hair, the cherry almond sent filling the bathroom. "I mean, it's not like he was very perceptive the last time I was here."

"Don't you worry." He spoke, standing directly in front of the curtain. "Ranger and I have a past. A past that wasn't in the books. He owes me big time, and even though he doesn't act like it…it trusts me."

I rinsed my hair and ran a hand over my legs. God bless beauty school. I thought. I was able to get waxed regularly for hardly anything. I just risked being burned or scarred for life, but let's face it; it was kind of worth it. I washed my face and put conditioner in my hair as I thought about what he had just said.

"He doesn't ever seem like he enjoys seeing you around in the books." I lathered up my pouf and covered it with my almond cherry vanilla body wash. "In fact, I think I remember something about an ass cramp." I covered myself with the thick lather, breathing the scent in deeply. Man I loved this stuff. As I tipped back into the water to rinse my hair and body the curtain opened slightly.

"Damn." Diesel growled. I opened my eyes, tossing the pouf at his face. "Shit." He whimpered as it smacked dead center in his face leaving a giant mass of bubbles.

"Serves you right." I laughed, turning off the water.

"It's in my eyes." He howled as I opened the curtain all the way and wrapped the towel around my chest.

"You big baby." I pulled another towel off the shelf and gently wiped away at the bubbles that were covering his face and dripping down his chin onto his chest. "There. Is that better?"

Squinting he opened one eye. I dried off, probably giving him more of a show then I should have.

"You have no fear, Opie." He laughed, picking up the towel again and wiping off his eyes. I shrugged and wrapped the towel around my body again, and took the towel from his hands twisting my hair up in a turban.

"Diesel, more people have seen me naked then I would really like to think about." I returned my things to my bathroom bag and zipped it up. "I don't even think about it anymore."

"Well, I am glad that you don't." He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and opened the door. "That just made my day…my month…shit..my whole quarter."

"Did you.." Steph poked out of her bedroom and pointed between Diesel and I. I shook my head no and handed the bag to Diesel. "Okay, well good. I had him bring your clothes in here. Lula and I have your outfit all picked out. Why don't you sit down and we will do your hair and makeup."

"Good luck, Solider." Diesel patted my butt gently and escaped into the living room.

"Let's get this show on the road." Lula said, pulling me by the arm into the bedroom and plopping me down on the chair that had been sitting in the corner of the room.

"Oh boy."

I am surprised how long getting ready actually takes. It was two thirty in the afternoon when I walked out of the bathroom after my shower. Now, at seven we are all dressed and ready to head out on our adventure. Diesel had actually ordered a pizza a couple hours ago between his naps.

"Alright, Sexpot!" Lula called out to Diesel. "She's ready!"

I walked out of the bedroom and stopped in the hallway in front of the living room. Diesel looked over and jumped to his feet.

"Holy shit!"

I turned to look at myself in the mirror that was hanging off the back of the bathroom door.

"Holy shit!" I cried out.

I was hot! My hair was big, but not huge, with my auburn hair curling in huge loose curls down past my shoulders. My makeup was subtle, except for my eyes which were lined softly and shaded darkly. The sparkly nude dress was short. It was cut to not only give me pretty impressive cleavage, but gave really accentuated my hourglass shape. The shoes were also nude, but added a good three inches to my 5'8" frame.

"Holy shit." Diesel said again, still standing mouth agape in front of the sofa. "It looks just like you…but…holy shit."

"She is like a Barbie doll." Lula said, coming out of the bedroom wearing a zebra print spandex dress and thigh high boots. Stephanie was wearing a soft blue dress and black heels.

"If I had a body like that I would just walk around naked." Stephanie said under her breath, stuffing some pizza into her mouth. I laughed. "Shit..outside voice?"

Diesel hooked an arm around me. "Let's get this party on the road."

We took my Camaro to a flashy club and were lucky enough to get a parking spot near the door. Diesel strode, an arm around me, into the club waving at the door man. The club was just like a normal club; dark, with flashing lights, loud music and tons of bodies grinding against each other. We took a seat at the bar and ordered some drinks.

"Opie, you really do look amazing." Diesel whispered in my ear, a hand low on my back. I smiled and winked at him as I took a sip of my martini. "Wanna dance?"

Since Stephanie and Lula had already made their way onto the dance floor, I nodded. Swigging my martini I stood, adjusting my dress and took his hand. We strolled onto the dance floor, the low hum of alcohol already affecting my system. I don't drink much, and usually kept to wine. Twisting me around, Diesel pressed my back against his front and put his hand low on my stomach as we danced. I lifted my arm around the back of his neck and swayed against him to the beat of the music. I closed my eyes and breathed in his smell, enjoying being held.

When the music stopped, Diesel whispered again in my ear.

"You sure do know how to move, Opie." He kissed the space behind my ear. "I have to return a phone call, and I think the girls want you to come have another drink with them."

Stephanie and Lula were waiting at the bar, suckling another set of girly drinks. They smiled and waved as we approached them, ordering me a matching drink.

"You two look hot out there." Lula yelled out over the music. I laughed and took the drink and drinking. I was warm, but in a good way. Standing in front of Stephanie and Lula as they chatted on; I closed my eyes and swayed to the music again.

"I can't seem to take my eyes off of you." A husky voice whispered in my ear. My eyes shot open, and I could feel a large man standing behind me. "I wanted to come and get your name so I knew who I was going to be dreaming about tonight."

I turned around, coming face to face with a beautiful set of green eyes, caramel skin and dark wavy hair bleached at the tips. His muscular shoulders and chest filled out a dark green t-shirt; the sleeves straining to fit over his biceps. I looked down at his narrow hips and thick muscular legs clad in dark wash jeans before making my way back up to his face. There was a panty-melting smirk across his gorgeous face.

"Holy shit." I whispered, my mouth gaping open. "Lester."

"You know my name." He purred, resting his hand on the bar behind me and leaning in close. I breathed in, my senses overwhelmed by his intoxicating smell. "Gorgeous, tell me your name."

"Opie." I stammered out, my whole body shaking. I remembered the stone cold face he had given me the last time I was here. The tone he had used, and how terrifying it was. I squared my shoulders and tipped my chin. "We have met."

"Oh really." His hand reached out and stroked my face gently. My body betrayed me as my breath hitched and heat ran through me. "I can't imagine I was in the right state of mind…" He ran a finger over my bottom lip. My tongue nervously shot out tracing where his finger had been. He moaned, stepping in even closer and putting his lips a breath away from my own.

"You weren't very nice to me." My voice was weak and my chest heaved as flashes of what he could probably do to me assaulted my brain. I closed my eyes to regroup.

"Lester!" Stephanie shrieked, causing Les to jump away from me. My eyes flew open and I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Beautiful." He smiled, wrapping Steph into a hug and kissing the top of her head. "You need to introduce me to your friend." He turned his gaze back to me and winked.

"Actually." Stephanie walked up next to him and swatted the back of his head with her palm.

"Ouch!" He rubbed his head. "What was that for?"

"Take a really good look at my friend, Lester." Is that the Burg Death glare? And the stance? Oh he was in trouble. Lester gulped and looked back into my eyes. I watched slowly as recognition swept across his face.

"Oh shit." He whispered.

"Yeah…oh shit." I snarled back. Trying to stamp out the hormones rushing through me from how close he still was. "You were an asshole to me."

"Wow." He ran his hands through his hair, one hand on his hip. "You're that Major that Ranger got his ass kicked over last year."

Stephanie and I both gaped.

"He is just a pussy." Diesel strolled up next to me and wrapped me under his arm. "You should really apologize, Cuz."

"You kicked Ranger's ass?" I looked at Diesel, who just grinned and shrugged nonchalantly. "Holy fuck."

"You were the one that kicked his ass?" Stephanie burst out laughing, bending over at the waist as her laughter overcame her. "Oh my god…he never told me who. He wouldn't even say what happened."

"Your name is Ophellia." Lester looked into my eyes, searching my own. I nodded and Diesel uncurled from around me and turned to order a beer. "Jesus, Ophellia, I am so sorry. I hate that you had to see me like that." He shook his head.

"Les." I smiled. "Thank you. I appreciate your apology. You were an ass."

"How about you let me try to make it up to you." He smiled, holding out his hand. "Dance with me?"

A slow song seemed to begin, as if on que. I shook my head laughing in disbelief. "Sure."

He took my hand in his and led me out to the dance floor, a hand gently on my lower back. Pulling me tightly against him, he began to sway and rock with the music. I was pressed up against his chest, my arms around his neck and his arms wrapped around my waist.

"You really are an amazing woman, Ophellia." He whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. "I'm not just talking about how absolutely perfect you are physically." He ran his hand softly from my cheek, down my side and hooked around me. I let out a shaky breath. "You are just a badass female. I heard about your record."

"It wasn't that big of a deal." I shook my head and looked away. He chuckled, his chest vibrating against my own.

"And you are modest." He splayed his hands on my back as he ground into me to the music. My knees wobbled and I whimpered as another surge of heat flashed through me. That man is just too sexy for his own good. The music was slow with a heavy bass. He moved gracefully, twisting his hips against mine and causing my brain to haze over with thoughts of taking him right here on the dance floor.

"You know," Les whispered again in my ear. "I remember something you said last year."

"What was that?" I bit my lip as his lips touched my ear softly.

"You said I was your favorite Merry Man."

I pulled back and looked at his face. He was smirking again, officially decimating my panties. I blushed again and smiled.

"So, it's true?" He leaned down his lips a breath away from my own.

His eyes sparkled mischievously, as his tongue slipped out and wet his lips. I nodded minutely, following his lead and wetting my own lips. He leaned into kiss me, his eyes closing a millisecond before his lips were to touch my own.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled my knee back and nailed him in the groin. He winced and doubled over. His face, as his arms were still around me, were planted between my breasts. I leaned down a bit and whispered into his ear.

"I wanted to ride you like the stallion that you are, Lester Santos. I would have been the best fuck you ever had. But.." I nipped his ear. "You need to work for it."

I removed myself from his grasp and sauntered over to a very stunned looking Stephanie and Lula, and a giggling Diesel.

"That's my girl." Diesel handed me back my drink.

***So….should I continue? Or is this dead in the water? You may want to read over Opie's Visit to Trenton just to see why she is not fucking Les on the dance floor. Review! Let me know if you want me to continue.***


	2. Chapter 2

We stumbled into Steph's apartment a couple hours later. Les had kept his distance the whole time we were at the club, but continued to stare at me. He sat, a few tables away nursing a drink. I almost felt bad for kneeing him in what I can only assume are the most amazing genitals I would have ever had the chance to use, but he deserved it.

"I can't believe you kneed Lester in the nuts." Steph had said for the dozenth time. She was currently sprawled out on her bed, her shoes being kicked off and tossed into the closet. "I have to be honest; I was kind of hoping you would sleep with him so you could tell me all about it. That man is sexy as hell."

"Yeah, I know." I smiled, pushing my heels off and sitting on the edge of the bed. "I almost caved and straddled him right there on the dance floor. He was always my favorite."

"It's so weird to hear you talk about them like that." She chuckled, standing up and getting pajamas out of her dresser. "It's nice, don't get me wrong. It makes me feel like I have known you."

"Me too." I said, smiling. I pulled my duffel over to myself, and pulled out my own pajamas. "You want me to take the couch? I know that Diesel is gonna want to crawl in here with you."

"Shit." She smacked her forehead. "He sleeps naked."

"Yeah he does." I smirked, unzipping my dress and slipping my shorts and tank on. "We could probably just crash on the floor in the living room."

"You could sleep here with me?" She looked horrified and explained. "I'm not a lesbian or anything, and I know that it would be kind of weird, but honestly. I don't think I could sleep next to that man without breaking my rules. Then I would more guilt then I could handle."

"I can do that." I chuckled. I laid the dress across the back of the chair and stood. "I'll go give Diesel the good news, and hit the bathroom to get ready for bed."

"Okay."

I quickly left the bedroom, closing the door behind me and headed towards the living room. Diesel was sprawled out on the floor with his eyes closed. I tip toed next to him and got down on my knees and leaned over him.

"Diesel." I sang and rubbed his chest. He groaned and smacked his lips in his sleep. "Ugh..Diesel!" I said louder, patting his chest. Nothing. He continued to sleep. "Diesel, wake up!" I shouted, smacking his chest harder. He stirred slowly and peeked through his barely opened eyes.

"You look good in PJs too, Solider." He smiled, hooking an arm around me and pulling me on top of him. Pushing back with a hand on his chest, I found myself straddling him; an obvious sign of his arousal was beneath me. "Now, that is just teasing." He purred.

"Jesus…Diesel." I went to climb off, but he held me tight, grinding himself gently against me. I shuddered, still feeling the alcohol in my system, but aware enough to know that this wasn't a good idea. "Hey!" pushed off of him again, this time releasing me from his hold. "I'm sleeping with Stephanie tonight. You have the couch."

"Really?" He sat up quickly a grin spreading over his face. "Can I watch?"

"Perv." I ground out shaking my head. "No…we aren't' fucking. We are sleeping. Because you sleep naked and that makes women feel uncomfortable."

"Well shit." He puffed.

"Night Diesel." I blew him a kiss and winked. "If you hear anything sexy, just go back to sleep. There's a bottle of lotion in the top pocket of my backpack there if you need it."

He looked at me, then at my backpack and laid back down, covering his face with his arm and grumbling.

Brushing my teeth and pulling my hair up into a messy bun took only a few minutes. Steph was already lying in bed checking her cell phone. I looked at the chair in the corner and smiled before sitting down next to her, wrapping my arms around my bent knees.

"I really appreciate this." I told her. She waved her hand and smiled dismissing any type of inconvenience. "I am really nervous about tomorrow."

"I've been thinking about something." She plugged in her phone and turned to face me. "What exactly happened last year?"

I told her the whole story; minus the whole her life is completely fictional in my world. When I got to the interrogation, her fists were clenched in front of her.

"He can really be an asshole." Steph shook her head. "I'm sorry that you had to meet them like that. They are really amazing and sweet and kind. But their security is so important to them."

"I can't put all the blame on them." Sighing I picked at the hem of my shorts. "I shouldn't have poked the bear. It was just so exciting to finally meet….um…the guys behind all the stories I heard."

"You and Diesel seem really close. How long have you known him?"

"Not that long at all." I laughed, realizing how out of my league I really am. "We met shortly before I arrived here last year. We were in a diner in Iowa. I trust him though, even though I probably shouldn't. It's not like we are super close."

"Diesel is a good guy." She patted my knee. "He is a little overwhelming, but he really has a good heart."

'Do you really think that Ranger is just going to forget about everything last year and let me work there?" It seemed so farfetched.

"Actually that is what I was thinking about." She smiled. "I have been struggling with skips lately. They are just getting to be too much for me, and I hate asking for the guys to help me. Especially when they won't let me share the money with them. Ranger has offered me a fulltime job at Rangeman more times than I can count."

"You really enjoy working with them?" I kind of already knew the answer, but I wanted to continue the conversation.

"I do." She shrugged. "I am really good at searches, and can find things that other people seem to not see." Taking my hands in hers she looked at me, a huge smile crossing her face. "I want to propose a deal to Ranger."

"Deals with Ranger don't seem like something beneficial in the long run." I smirked. She gaped and opened her mouth to ask how I knew. "Diesel."

"Figures." She shook her head. "I am tired of my life the way it is right now. I want to move onto bigger and better things. I don't want to be the butt of jokes and gossip."

"You shouldn't be those things, no matter what you do."

"I know that, but the Burg doesn't see it like that."

"The Burg is stupid." We giggled and after Steph jumped up to shut off the light we settled down on the pillows.

"I am going to take Ranger up on his offer to work and live at Rangeman." She said as we laid in the dark. "I know there is a two bedroom there. I'm going to make you part of the deal."

"Do you think he will go for it?"

"I don't know. But either way, between you me and Diesel we are going to figure this out."

"Thanks, Steph. I really appreciate this. I know I'm a stranger that just showed up out of nowhere, but you have really made me feel welcome…like a friend."

"You are."

We fell into a comfortable silence, before sleep took us both.

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I awoke up to a small click and a flash. Peeking up from the tangle of limbs and hair I saw Diesel standing at the end of the bed snapping pictures of Steph and me with his cellphone.

"Diesel?" I croaked out, pushing my hair out of my way and untangling from Steph. "What in the fuck are you doing?"

"Opie." His deadpanned expression sending a flash of panic through me, until it broke into a devilish smirk. "That has to be the hottest thing I have ever seen."

I stomped over, tripping over a pillow that had been thrown to the floor, and grabbed the phone from his hands.

"Come on, Opie." He whined, reaching for the phone. I put a hand up and flipped through the pictures.

"Hmm." I said, turning my head from one side to the other. "They are pretty hot."

"Told you." His chest puffed and he put his hands on his hips. I continued flipping past the ones of Steph and I and stopped. I looked up at Diesel a huge grin on my face. He was still too occupied with his triumph that he didn't see me forward the picture to myself. At the sound of the distinct "whoosh" to signal the message was successfully sent, he looked at the picture I was looking at. "Shit."

"Diesel, that's pretty impressive." I looked him up and down and bit my lip.

"Who did you…" He blushed and looked up at me. "You sent it to yourself."

"Yep." I popped the 'p', smacking his ass as I passed him to get clothes. "A girl has to have some motivation too, you know."

As I walked out towards the bathroom I heard him groan.

"Oh my God. That is the hottest thing I have ever heard."

I chuckled as I got dressed in the few clean clothes that I had left; dark jeans and a soft green tank. I brushed my teeth and shook my hair out of the bun, thankful that it didn't look bad. I tossed my things back into my bag in Steph's room, noticing that she hadn't moved a muscle. Glancing at the clock I noticed that it was only 7am.

"Diesel." I called out to him from the foyer. "Wanna come with me and get something for Steph for breakfast."

He barreled out of the living room, stomping his CAT boots onto his feet. He tipped his head, dangled the keys from his hand and strolled out the door. I followed, stopping at the door.

"Shouldn't we lock it?" I called out. He was already in front of the elevator. He just shook his head and laughed. "What was I thinking.." Muttering under my breath I high tailed it to the elevator.

We stopped at the bakery and got two dozen doughnuts, making sure that at least half of them were Boston Cremes. Then we made our way towards the coffee shop that Connie had used as the office when the bond's office was under construction. Diesel ordered the coffee, extra-large of course, and we headed out to the car. Leaning against it, we enjoyed our coffee and a doughnut.

"Diesel, Steph has an idea to help get me into Rangeman." I said cautiously, sipping the molten coffee. "I am worried that it might not work."

"What is her plan?" He shoved a whole doughnut in his face, plumping out his cheeks like a chipmunk as he chewed.

"You are incorrigible." I laughed, gently wiping away the powdered sugar on his shirt. He grinned. "She is going to throw herself as tribute."

"This isn't the Hunger Games, Honey." He took a sip of coffee, his face twisting. Wiping a giant clump of frosting off one of the doughnuts and plopped it into his coffee. "Trust me. I am not worried at all. Ranger and I had a meeting of the minds after I sent you back."

"You mean you kicked his ass." I laughed. I watched him as he reached into his pocket, pulled out a pen and stirred his coffee. "What are you doing?"

"It wasn't sweet enough." He licked off the pen, putting I back into his pocket and took a sip. "Much better."

"Do you think that we should let her give herself to Rangeman like that?"

"She has wanted to for years. I think this will be good for her. And for the record, while I did totally and utterly kick his sorry ass….we also talked it out. He realized, granted it was after a couple boots to the face, that he jumped to conclusions and that you aren't a threat."

"It's pretty impressive that you can kick Ranger's ass." I said, licking the icing off a second doughnut.

"Not really." Scoffing he shook his head. "Sure, he's tough and can fight really good. But I had motivation and right on my side. He deserved it. Oh, and it definitely wasn't the first or last time I will hand him is own blubbering ass."

"Honestly, that is kind of getting me hot thinking about you two fighting." My eyes glassed over as my imagination went to work. "Were you two shirtless?"

"Jesus, Opie." He wrapped an arm around my neck and pulled me to him, kissing the top of my head. "When's the last time you got laid?"

"Uhhh…Do you want me to count my deployment?"

"What? Yea." He took a swig of his coffee.

"Ummm….." I looked skyward, ticking off fingers as I counted. "Well, about 3 years now."

"No way." He sputtered, his coffee dripping down his lips. "That is just wrong."

"What can I say?" I shrugged, biting off another chunk of doughnut. "I was in a bad marriage. The last time I did have sex, 3 years ago, there was a gap just about the same before that. My ex liked to tell me that I just couldn't get him excited or that he was tired of being around just for sex. I wish I had known about all that sex he was talking about, 'cause it wasn't with me."

"You are going to get along really well with the guys at Rangeman." His chest vibrating against my side as he laughed. "You are a sex starved unbelievably gorgeous woman who can kick their ass any day, but Sunday."

"Why not Sunday?"

"It's the day of rest, Honey. It's the day of rest."

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We pulled into Steph's parking lot twenty minutes later and were not surprised that she was still fast asleep in her bed. I set the doughnuts on the kitchen counter and grabbed her coffee as I headed back into her bedroom. Removing the lid, I sat down next to her on the bed and wafted the intoxicating coffee smell towards her. She groaned, breathed in deeply and raised her head.

"You are a godsend." She mumbled, pulling up into a sitting position and taking the coffee from me.

"We have doughnuts, too."

"If I was a lesbian, you would be my one true love." She moaned, taking a sip.

"I will keep that in mind." I chuckled and moved to the chair in the corner. "This is actually pretty comfortable. I can see why Ranger likes it."

"That is his chair." She stood and pulled out some clothes. "Wait.."

I waved her question off and picked at a spot on my jeans. "When do you want to head over to Rangeman?"

"Let me take a quick shower and then we can head out."

I nodded as she headed towards the bathroom. Diesel came in as I moved in front of my bag and pulled out my dog tags from the front pocket. I ran my fingers over the raised lettering and sighed.

"You miss it?" He sat on the edge of the bed, his coffee still in his hand.

"Yeah." I slipped them over my head and tucked them into my shirt. It felt so much better when I wore them, probably because they had been there for so long. "It's all I really know. I joined right out of high school, went green to gold a few years later. It was the first time in my life I had an actual family. Someone always had my back, and I knew that no matter what I could depend on them; whether it was in a professional or personal matter."

"Well, no matter what happens, I am always here." He grinned and I patted his leg. "You didn't deserve all that bullshit, Opie. The bullshit with your ex, the bullshit with the forced retirement…all of it. You were a great solider…you still are."

"Thanks, Diesel." I stood and shook the boo-boo face feelings off of me. "Do you think I should bring my 'I love me' book?"

"Yep." He grinned, standing next to me. "They have no reason to doubt what you tell them as truth, but I think that it might help solidify how big of a badass you really are. Let's face it, it's kind of a requirement there."

We headed into the living room where I had left my cell phone plugged in last night. I don't even know why I bothered charging it, since I am pretty sure that even if it worked across whatever dimensional drift I passed; no one was going to be calling me. I scrolled through my messages, seeing nothing new or exciting before tossing it onto the coffee table.

"I can make it work here." Diesel pointed to my phone.

"Really?" I handed it to him and eyed his cellphone on the table next to mine. "Can I check something on your phone?"

"As long as you don't take too many of my pictures." He paused a moment, thinking about it. "Actually, take as many as you want. In fact, if you want to add any I won't mind."

I woke the screen and looked at his background. It was a small kawaii cookie waving with a conversation bubble over its head saying 'Eat me!' I chuckled and pulled up his internet. I wanted to google myself. I know it sounds weird, and oddly erotic, but I kind of wanted to know if there was another me sitting around in this world.

I put my name into the search bar and waited. A long list of publications filled the page; mostly advertisements for porn and weird websites for historical romance novels. I guess I am an enigma. I closed the browser and the phone began to vibrate in my hand.

"Diesel." I pointed at the phone. He was busy tapping on my phone.

"Answer it. Just put it on speaker." He bit inside of his cheek.

I did as he asked.

"Hello. Diesel's phone." I sang in the sweetest voice I could. Diesel chuckled.

"Uh..who is this?" A deep male voice sounded startled. "Where's Diesel?"

"What do you want, Dean?" Diesel sighed. "I already told you I am not going to help you this time."

"Diesel, listen man." Dean, obviously frustrated, continued. "Sam and I think we've figure out where these nasty fuckers are, but we can't' get in. Castiel put some weird angely spell thing on us and we can't go anywhere green. Who the hell does that?"

"Oh my God. Is that Dean Winchester! He is on my top 5 fuck me list!" I screeched.

"Why yes I am, Sweetheart." Dean's voice turned soft and sultry.

"Jesus, Dean. Don't get her all in a tizzy. Listen, I am in New Jersey." He ran his hand over his face. "Remember that thing that I ….uh..told you about?"

"No!" Dean exploded out. "That's her?!"

"Oh my God…" I fanned myself. "I think I'm gonna pass out."

"Dean…fuckin' A. I can't help you right now. I'm busy. Don't call me and don't you dare come here. I will make going to hell look like a picnic."

"Alright alright…" Dean sighed. "As long as you promise that I get to meet her eventually."

"Not fucking likely." Diesel ground out, cutting off the phone call and leaning back. "Shit."

My brain was still reeling. Dean Winchester was real. Ranger Manoso and Lester were real. This is insane. I could feel my breath coming quickly as the possibilities swam in my head.

"Diesel…"

"Shit, Opie…listen. There are a lot of things that you don't know. Not everything is real here that is fantasy there." He growled and handed me my phone. "Listen, you get yourself situated here and maybe….MAYBE…I will bring you to meet some of my other friends."

"Just answer one more question…." I put up a finger and grinned.

"What."

"Is the Doctor real here?" I bit my lip and wrung my hands. Diesel nodded and I squealed, jumping up and down. "Which one is he? What number?"

"Shit…..Ten."

"Diesel…I could kiss you!" I launched myself at him and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I don't care what happens at Rangeman. I don't care if I never go back. This is heaven."

"Opie, you are a dork."

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Stephanie was out of the shower, dressed and ready to go an hour later. Diesel threatened me with numerous torture techniques if I didn't stop asking about other fandoms,and made me promise not to bring up anything to anyone. Most people can't handle the idea that people like them, and situations that they have exist.

We were in the car on the way to Rangeman; Stephanie in the front seat holding the doughnut box, Diesel driving and me sitting in the back. My leg was jumping nervously as we pulled up in front of the building. Stephanie reached in her purse and clicked a FOB, opening the doors to the parking garage. Diesel pulled in, parked near the elevator and go out.

"Are you as nervous as I am?" Steph asked me, handing the box of doughnuts to Diesel and hooking her elbow with mine. I nodded and bit my lip. "We can do this."

She pointed the FOB at the cameras as we walked up to the elevator, and again as we got in. She was turning off the cameras, which I was grateful for, but worried that it might cause some sort of security protocol. Diesel stood behind us humming and drumming his fingers against the doughnut box as we rode up to the 5th floor. When the doors opened, Steph tilted her chin up, keeping a strong grip on me and strolled into the communication room.

"Is he in?" She asked Tank who was standing frozen still with his mouth open. He shook his head and nodded, pointing at Ranger's office.

"This is creepy." I whispered, looking at all the men still as statues watching us walk past them to the door.

"Yeah it kind of is." She stopped, took a deep breath and put her hands on her hips. "HEY! LISTEN UP!" Her voice echoed through the room. "This is my friend, Opie. You guys didn't give her a very good welcome the last time that she was here. That will not happen again." Ranger's door opened.

"Babe?"

"And YOU!" she turned and pointed at him. "You even think about intimidating her and I will stick Diesel on you."

"Why don't you come into my office, so the men can get back to work." Ranger's shoulders dropped and he stepped back motioning to come in.

Steph took my hand and pulled me into his office, Diesel following behind us with a Cheshire cat grin across his face. I noticed Les standing in the back of the room against one of the doors. He had a amused smile on his face and waved at me as he caught my eye. I smiled and gave him a finger wave as we walked into Ranger's office.

"Please, have a seat." Ranger said politely, waving his hand over a group of chairs in front of his desk. I took the same chair that I had been in the last time I was here, an involuntary shiver rushing through me. He walked around his desk for a moment, tapping on his computer before standing in front of us again.

"Ranger, we have to talk." Steph said, the confidence that she exuded a few moments ago wavering.

"I know, Babe." He said softly, leaning down and kissing her on the top of her head. I watched the exchange, the love they shared so obvious. "Major Cummings…" He turned to me and ran his hand through his hair. "I have a lot of apologizing to do to you."

"Yeah you do." Diesel chimed in, doughnut filling his mouth. I shook my head and chuckled at the icing hanging off his chin.

"I had no right to treat you the way that I did, nor did I have the right to order my men to." He began, crouching down so that we were face to face. "I am not going to use excuses like it was protocol or that your curious behavior warranted it. I know that it doesn't and I am genuinely ashamed of what happened." He put out his hand for his. I did and he gently cupped it between his own. "I want you to know that I have made it known to my men of my mistake. I have explained to them that my behavior is inexcusable, and while I they were under orders that they were still responsible for apologizing for their own part in this."

"Wow." I said. "Thank you."

"No. Thank you. Ever since Diesel made me aware of exactly what was going on; it has been eating away at me." He smiled softly. "I want you to know that I will do anything to make this right."

"Ranger.." Steph sniffed, tears forming in her eyes.

He stood and tipped her face towards his, wiping away the tears before kissing her gently.

"Babe, Major Cummings.."

"Opie." I interrupted, standing.

"I apologize." He smiled. "Opie, deserves the utmost respect. She is a hero, and I am humbled being in her presence."

"It wasn't that big of a deal." I moaned.

"That just proves how big of a deal it really was." He chuckled and put out his hand. I shook it. "I think I know why you are here."

"I am sure that you do." I shook my head. "I have nothing, Ranger. Getting out isn't easy when it is all that you have ever known. I have no family, only an asshole ex who stole everything and left me homeless and not able to even feed myself. "

"Can I offer you a place here?" He spread his arms, referring to his business. "I know that we could use you around here."

"Only if you bring Steph on too." I smiled, winking at Steph.

"If she wants to." He raised an eyebrow, looking at Stephanie. "Babe?"

"I do." Steph finally said after a moment. "I am tired of being lost and failing. I make a difference here."

"You never fail, Babe." Ranger tucked her into his arms and held her against him.

"Do you still have that two bedroom apartment open?" Steph spoke tentatively; my confidence swelling. I was finally feeling like myself again.

"Of course." Ranger grinned. "When would you like to start?"

"Now?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Ranger smiled.

"Let's get the core team together. I am going to want you to work with them most of the time. I know that you are a genius strategic planning and sustainability." He walked towards the door, holding it open.

"I have been told that I am that." Chuckling I walked through the door; Steph, Diesel and Ranger following me.

"Tank!" Ranger barked. "Get the Core Team together and pull up a personnel packet."

Tank nodded and smiled, before taking off. We stood standing in the communication room, still taking in the quick and life changing conversation we just had.

"I know that you know a lot about me, and my men." Ranger spoke quietly in my ear as Steph was distracted by some of the Merry Men.

"I do." I shrugged. "But I promise that I don't have nefarious intentions."

"I know." He sighed. "But I would like to chat with you sometime soon about personal matters."

"About you and Steph?" I asked, a smile breaking across my face. He nodded. "I can do that. Thank you Ranger for this. I really appreciate it."

"Anytime, Opie."

"Excuse me." A voice from behind us startled me. I turned around and saw Lester.

"Shit." I whispered, turning back around.

"Ranger, can I have a moment with Opie." Les' tentatively spoke. Ranger nodded and walked back to Stephanie. "I wanted to apologize again."

"Les.." I started running my hands through my hair as he positioned himself in front of me.

"I'm serious." His eyebrows knitted together in concern and hurt.

"I know. I'm sorry too." Fidgeting, I tried not to look into his eyes.

"Opie, I want you to give me a chance. Get to know me." I looked up, his bright green eyes sending a thunderbolt of lust through me. "I hate knowing that I scared you the way that I did. That I hurt you like that, when you didn't deserve it at all."

"I shouldn't have kneed you in the balls." It spilled out of me; blushing I clapped a hand over my mouth.

"It's okay. I deserved it." He chuckled, taking a step closer and leaning towards me. I almost stopped breathing when he whispered in my ear. "I wasn't able to sleep last night, by the way. After what you told me…Gorgeous…I couldn't get the visual out of my head."

"Oh God." I gasped out, my face hot.

"I plan on working very hard to gain not only your trust, but your friendship….maybe more." He pulled back and smiled at the expression on my face. "You are beautiful when you blush."

I took a couple of deep breaths, an powerful surge of confidence taking over. I closed my eyes for a moment and grabbed his collar. Pulling me back towards me I whispered in his ear.

"You drive me crazy." I nipped at his ear playfully. "If I had been in my right mind….I would've taken you home last night. Maybe we can get a repeat…minus the ball crushing. And soon."

"Gorgeous." Les groaned. I pulled him back and smoothed out his collar and shirt; shuddering at the wall of muscles underneath it. "You are amazing." He smiled.

"Opie!" Steph called, waving me towards the conference room. "Santos, leave her alone and get your ass in here."

I watched as he strolled towards the conference room, his ass causing me to flush.

'That man will be the death of me'. I thought as we entered the conference room. 'But what a death it would be.'

* * *

**So….this happened. Let me know how you think. I may not be posting daily, because life does words and such. Please review…let me know what you like, and what you hate. If you have suggestions, concerns? Let me know. As always, Thanks for reading. **


	3. Chapter 3

We all sat around a giant table; Steph on one side of me and Tank on the other. Tank still made me nervous, mostly because he was huge. Let's be honest; flashbacks of him dragging me out of Ranger's office still gave me nightmares.

We had discussed pretty much everything that could possibly be discussed. I was going to be shadowing members of the core team for the next six weeks or so before being put in charge of primary sustainment and assisting with takedowns and procedures. It was a dream job actually. I was excited and terrified at the same time. Stephanie was going to be doing searches, and helping with FTAs. She may not be physically fit, or have any type of professional training but she had the best intuition.

"Opie, I want to talk to you about the standards we have here." Ranger said, pulling out a folder and sliding it towards me.

"I am assuming its mandatory physical fitness, and testing. The nutritional aspect of the job seems to be pretty rigid, but I don't put that much stock into food. I also am to assume that physicals and such are going to be pretty regular. None of these things will be an issue." I rattled off. "Ranger…I have never scored below 325 on any PT test I have ever taken. I run for fun, so that won't be an issue. In fact, I desperately need to get back into the gym. I feel all…twitchy."

"That's higher than Tank's." Bobby chuckled. "Hey big guy, you might need to step it up a bit."

"Shut up, Brown." Tank's deep baritone rumbled through him, causing me to shiver. He turned and looked me up and down. "What kind of combatives are you trained in?"

"We can train you in the basics, Opie." Ranger began, but I cut him off.

"I won't be needing that." That kind of burned my biscuits. "In fact, if you would like I could assist you in making sure that your men are properly training in advanced combatives."

"That's my girl." Diesel guffawed from the back of the room. He was lounging between two leather office chairs, his feet up on one. "You should take them to the mats and prove it."

"That won't be necessary." I shook my head. "Ranger, I appreciate your willingness to train me, but I don't think you understand exactly what I am bringing to the table."

"I am starting to see that." Ranger chuckled. "Diesel mentioned before you came into the meeting that you have your paperwork?"

"I do. I can bring it in later today, if that is okay." I bit the inside of my cheek. "I would prefer not to have an audience when you go over it."

"Understandable."

"Thanks." I twisted in my chair, feeling Tank's eyes still on me.

"Alright, let's get back to work." Ranger clapped his hands together. "Opie, we can move you into your apartment right away if you would like."

"I would appreciate it." I stood and pulled the paperwork and folders into my arms and flipping my purse over my head and across my body. "I don't have a lot. In fact, it doesn't even fill the trunk of my car."

"Boss, we might need to make some adjustments." Cal chimed in. "The two bedroom is bare. There isn't even a shower curtain in it."

"What about a one bedroom?" Steph asked. "I have an apartment, and I haven't even talked to my landlord about breaking my lease yet."

"My adjoining is empty." Lester said quietly. Ranger turned to me and I shrugged and nodded. "I can take her down, Ranger. I don't go on shift for a few more hours."

"Alright." He smiled, grabbing Stephanie's hand. "Welcome to Rangeman, Opie. I have to talk to Babe. I'm offline until 1900."

With that, he and Steph almost ran out of the room and to the elevators.

"That wasn't obvious." Bobby chuckled shaking his head. "Opie, I am going to need you to come down to my office sometime soon as well. You will need a physical and fill out a little bit more paperwork."

"Okay, I can do that whenever." I smiled. "I don't really start until tomorrow, and the only thing I need to do is unpack. Trust me when I say that won't take me very long at all."

"How about…" He looked at his watch. Out of habit I did as well, noting that it was a little after twelve. "1400? You are going to want to eat. None of the blood tests will be fasting, for now anyway."

"Okay, sounds good." I smiled. He put out his hand and I took it, shaking it. "Opie, I am really glad that you came back, and that you decided to give us another chance."

"Thanks. I am starting to believe that this was a good idea. I was really worried, honestly."

"Well, just know that you are part of Rangeman now. It's a lot like being in the service. We are a family, and you are now part of it." He patted my shoulder and excused himself.

Tank, Lester and Cal stood around me kicking imaginary dirt on the immaculate stone tile floors.

"Alright…" I said, hands on hips Wonder Woman style. "I need to get my shit and feed my face. Any takers?"

All three smiled and raised their hands. Diesel, finishing off the last of the doughnuts and tossing the box into the trash, sauntered to me and flipped me over his shoulder.

"Diesel, put me down you oaf!" I squeaked. A loud smack echoed as he made contact with my ass. "Ooooh…you are going to regret that Cookie boy."

"Cookie boy?"

"Yeah, cause you smell like cookies. Duh!" I smacked his back playfully as he strolled to the elevator, the three guys in tow. "Actually, your ass really looks great from this angle." I reached down and grabbed a butt cheek with each hand and squeezing.

"I know you need to get laid and all, Hotness." Diesel ran a hand up my thigh, dangerously close to causing me to have a break in my dry spell. "But we got shit to do, and I need way more time than we are allotted." He smacked my ass again as the elevator door opened and we all climbed in.

"Uhh..." Cal stammered as he came face to ass with me in the elevator.

"Sorry." I grumbled.

"No complaints here." He laughed. "Damn what a nice ass." I am assuming he meant to say that a lot quieter or that maybe he thought I couldn't hear him. Either way, I was kind of flattered. This dry spell of mine is looking to be getting a heavy rain soon.

When we reached the parking garage, Diesel strolled towards my car and unlocked the doors with the remote. He looked at the guys standing in front of him and then the car.

"I think we might have an issue." He said, sliding me down off his shoulder and pointing at the car. "Your car isn't big enough to carry that many Merry Men."

"Let's take my ride." Lester said, pulling out his keys and clicking his remote. A shiny black Land Rover flashed its lights. As we made our way over, I ogled the car. It was beautiful. I ran my fingertips very gently down the side trim, careful not to leave any fingerprints. I reached to get into the back seat, when Les touched my arm. "You get the front, Opie. My car…my rules. "

I smiled as he held open the door and I slid in. The guys all climbed in the back. Glancing back I noticed that while they weren't swimming in room, they were all comfortable. Les slipped into the driver's seat and the engine roared to life.

"Where we heading?" He asked pulling out of the parking garage.

"Stephanie's." I said, checking out the buttons in the console. "Diesel brought most of my stuff up last night. The rest is in the truck and backseat of my car."

"You wanna get lunch first?" Diesel asked. "I'm starving."

"You ate a dozen doughnuts!"

"I'm a growing boy."

"Where to, Gorgeous?" Les glanced at me, before stopping at the light.

"I wanna go to Shorty's." I grinned, rubbing my hands together.

"Seriously?" Tank grumbled out laughing. "You actually WANT to go there?"

"I've heard a lot about it and I am dying to check it out." I

"Shorty's it is." Les flipped a U-turn and headed the other direction.

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Shorty's was exactly what I thought it would be. It was dark, dank and dirty. I loved it. Shorty was standing behind the bar wiping it down. When he lifted his head and saw who it was, he tipped his head back. The guys followed suit, except Diesel who waved.

"After you." Les said, extending his arm behind the back corner booth. I slid in, stopping when I neared Cal who was doing the same. "So, pizza? Sandwiches? Salad? Beer?"

"Yes." I said, licking my lips. "I am so hungry all of a sudden."

"I know just the thing." Tank grinned and motioned over the waitress.

"What can I get y'all?" A tired looking waitress grumbled, pulling out a pen from her massive Jersey hairdo.

"Five beers. Five Shorty Special Pizzas and a trash can." Tank winked at me.

"Got it. It'll be done when it's done." She strode away to get the beers.

"A trash can?"

"It's a little bit of everything." Cal smiled. He was a good looking man, even with the giant flaming skull tattoo. Without thinking I asked.

"What's with the tat?"

"You don't think it brings out my eyes?" He joked, batting his long thick eyelashes. Geeze...these men are not helping keep my hormones in check.

"No. I actually like it." I reached up, testing the boundaries of any new relationship, whether professional or casual, and outlined the tattoo with my finger tip. "Whoever did it did an amazing job."

"Thanks."

"So…." I prodded.

"Would you believe me if I said that alcohol was involved?"

"Only partially. But I am sure that there were many moment of sober clarity that would have let you back out."

"You sure are something." He put his arm on the back of the booth behind me and leaned in close to my ear. "Okay. It started out as an idea between me and one of my buddies in college. We were toasted, drunk as skunks. It sounded cool at the time. We planned the next morning to go to the tattoo place down town and get them. We were completely sober when we did."

"So there are TWO guys with flaming skull tattoos on their foreheads?"

"Yep." He pulled out his cellphone and scrolled through pictures. "This is my friend, Orin."

The picture showed a rather dumpy looking guy in his mid-thirties with thinning hair and a great smile. Next to him, and about a foot up, was Cal.

"I love it." I handed back the phone. "Wanna see my drunken idea, sober obtaining tattoo?"

"More than is probably healthy." He winked and I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I would love to see it."

The waitress hastily set down the five giant beers and staggered off. I grabbed my beer, took a long pull and set it down.

"Alright." I shimmied my legs up so that I was on my knees on the cushion. I turned so that I was leaning closely against the back of the seat. "Pardon me, Diesel."

Leaning back slightly, careful not to bump the beers I unzipped my jeans.

"Jesus Opie…" Diesel shook his head and laughed. "You are gonna get yourself arrested."

"Fuck it." I pressed myself against the back of the booth and shimmied my jeans so that the majority of my left butt cheek was exposed. "What do you think?"

"Is that a paw print?" Tank twisted his head side to side. Cal broke out in a gun busting laugh, slapping the table a few times.

"Ooh…ooh." Lester stood up and pointed. "A CLUE! A CLUE!"

"There you go. I knew you would get it, Les." I giggled, pulling my pants back on and shimmying my way back into my seat. "Anyone else have any tattoos they want to share?"

"Maybe later." Tank chuckled. "I don't think you would want to have you show us ours here. I mean, I know for a fact Lester would have to get naked. I really don't want to see that…..again."

"Well, some of us wouldn't mind seeing it." I mumbled just in time for the food to arrive. We sat in comfortable silence as we ate. The trash can ended up being every fatty, greasy appetizer piled high on a trash can lid. It was heavenly. I was bloated and sated by the time the waitress cleared our table and dropped the check.

"I got it." Tank yelled, scrambling to get the ticket. He was quick for a big guy, because everyone including me was reaching for it. Tank pulled out some bills and handed it to the waitress. "Keep the change, darlin'.

"Thanks Big guy." I smiled and patted his shoulder. "You all have been a lot nicer than I thought you were going to be. Especially after our first meeting."

"That was a misunderstanding." Cal pressed. "You know as well as anyone that when your commander tells you do to something you do it. We had no reason to question his decision. We aren't bad guys."

"I'm starting to see that." Patting Cal's hand and looking around at all the faces. The same faces that gave me nightmares were smiling back at me. "I'm not gonna lie though. I'm still a little leery, but I know that I shouldn't hold it against you."

"Opie, this is why I knew bringing you back would work." Diesel chimed in. "You are adaptable and have a clear head about you. I don't blame you for being cautious, but your ability to put logic and reasoning ahead of your emotions is admirable."

"Thanks, D."

"Let's head over the Bomber's and get your stuff." Cal motioned for Lester to get out of the booth. "You have that meeting with Bobby at 2, and the definitely don't want to be rushing into that out of breath."

Sliding out of the booth was a little more difficult after the feast we had, but I managed to do it without exploding or napping half way. I sent a finger-wave to Shorty as we walked out.

"SHOT GUN!" Tank scrambled to the front seat, stopping right before sliding into the seat. I nodded and climbed in the back between Cal and Diesel. Lester looked irritated, but you can't fight with the laws of dibs.

"Diesel?" I whispered when Cal was distracted by something out the window. "Does my phone work on both sides?"

"Of course." He smiled, tucking my hand into his. "You can contact anyone on either side. Just remember that you can't let them know about exactly where you are."

"Why's that?" Les eyed me in the rear view mirror. "Sorry, I was eavesdropping."

"It's complicated." I sighed, pulling out my phone and opening my email app.

"Well, that cleared that up." Cal's laugh shook his shoulders.

I shook my head and scrolled, seeing an unread email. My face twisted in what I can assume was a major bitch face. I clicked it open; reading it quickly.

"Son of a bitch." Growling I reread it; a sharp twinge hitting my chest as the pictures loaded.

"What's up, Buttercup?" Diesel looked over at my phone and whistled. "That isn't good. Maybe I shouldn't have let you have access to both."

"No...It's fine." I ran my hand down my face. My ex, Marco, had sent me an email. "He does this occasionally. Probably drunk again and wanting to start shit."

"What did he say?"

"Oh, the usual." I cleared my voice and read. "Where the fuck are you, Cunt."

"Now that's not nice at all." Cal leaned in, taking notice.

"Bring your nasty whore ass back here. That car should be mine. I don't care what the judge said. It's mine. I will hunt your pathetic fucking ass down and beat the keys out of your hands." I sighed; he always knew the way to a girl's heart. I continued reading. "I can't believe I wasted 7 years of my life married to your disgusting ass. It was definitely a step down for me. I don't' even know what I was thinking…I felt sorry for you. Your homely and don't even know how to be a woman. This is a woman….And he inserted a picture, lovely." A garbled groan came from Diesel and Cal.

"Is that his dick?" Cal exclaimed, looking closer at the picture.

"Yea." Sighing again I continued. "She knows how to take care of a man, unlike you. She can suck cock and fuck better than you ever will. Here I'll show you…..and more pictures….and a video. Lovely."

"He has a really small dick." Cal smiled, pointing at the screen.

"Yeah he does." I laughed and closed the email. "Maybe I shouldn't check my email for a while."

"We've got your back, Gorgeous." Les' voice was strained, but I could hear the anger. He gripped the steering wheel tightly as we pulled into Steph's apartment complex. "But, I wouldn't mind hunting him down for you."

"If it was that simple…"

"Fuck that douche." Tank growled, opening the door and stepping out. "You are here now, and I may not know you on a personal level, but I am pretty sure that everything he said was bullshit."

"Thanks Tank." I smiled as I slid out, taking Cal's offered hand. "Let's get my shit and head back. I need to pee."

"Why didn't you go at Shorty's?" Cal looked down at me.

"Seriously?" I chuckled as we were going up the elevator. "Cal...I hate to break it to you, but I don't have a penis. While I am pretty sure that I could pee standing up or hovering over the seat...I am sure I would make a mess of myself. There was no way I would put my bare ass on a toilet there."

"I don't blame you." Les hooked an arm around my shoulders and lead me into Steph's apartment.

I headed straight to the bathroom, while the guys began picking up my bags that Diesel pointed out. When I was done, they were standing there waiting. I went to reach for one of the bags that Les was carrying but he just shook his head.

"Let's go check out your new place." He smiled and we left, heading towards my new start in life.

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The guys dropped off my stuff, welcomed me again and told me how glad they were that I choose to give them a second chance. Tank and Cal had to run back to work. Diesel got a phone call and told me that he would be back later tonight; leaving Les and I standing in my apartment.

My new apartment was nice and a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be. There was a large living space fully furnished with a plush leather sofa and recliner. There was a large TV in the entertainment center, a desk with a leather rolling chair and a lamp. The bedroom had a king size bed, bedding laying in the center of it, a dresser, two end tables and a butler's stand next to a large wing backed chair in the corner. The bathroom was bigger than I was used to and had a giant walk in shower with multiple shower heads sticking out.

"You and I share a common space." Les opened a door just off the small foyer. There was a galley style kitchen and a small eating area. It was modern and had some higher end appliances. "Ella stocks us with the basics; bread, eggs, milk. But we get the rest."

"Wow." I ran my hand over the counter top, stopping at the espresso machine. "I am assuming this is yours."

"Yeah." He opened a cabinet right above the machine and pointed to a variety of specialty coffees. "I like coffee. I have a French press and Keurig, too. You are more than welcome to use it any time you want."

"I'll pitch in for coffee." I wanted to make sure that he knew that I wasn't a mooch. I have been on my own since I was 18, and even before then it was just me. "I learned some pretty good techniques when I was in Turkey. I'll have to show you sometime."

"I would like that a lot." His eyes softened as he smiled. "I hope that it won't be uncomfortable for you to be so close to me. If it makes you feel better, the door locks on your side. I won't be just barging into your space."

"That is good to know." I eyed the door on the other side of the kitchen. "Is that your place?" I pointed.

"Yea. You wanna see it?"

"Maybe later." I checked my watch. "I only have a little bit before I have to get to Bobby's. I turned and headed back towards

"Do you need help getting anything unpacked?" His hands deep in his pockets.

"Sure." I tucked a stray hair behind my ear. He followed me back into my living room and I handed him one of my bags. "I have a computer than needs set up…if you are interested."

"I can do that, Gorgeous." He took the bag over to the desk and began pulling out all the electronic equipment that was in side.

I humped my duffle on my back and headed to the bedroom. Thankfully there were hangers in the closet and a hamper. As I began tossing the dirty laundry in it, I called out to Les.

"Hey, do y'all have a laundry room here?" I crossed my arms. Everything is dirty but a few pairs of underthings and a set of pajamas.

"No, but Ella comes in twice a week and does it."

"Everything I own needs to be washed." I tossed the few clean things into the dresser, and put the empty duffle on the floor of the closet. I glanced at Les busy at my desk as I pulled the second duffle bag from the living room. "How's it going?"

"I like your computer." He turned slightly and smiled, pointing at the screensaver. My hand slapped against my face as I attempted to damper my blushing. "I hate to sound presumptuous, but is that me?"

"This is embarrassing." My voice muffled under my hand. "Yes."

I shot into my bedroom, the duffle thumping behind me. I heard the chair roll back and Les' footsteps. Taking a deep breath I began unloading the duffle bag onto the bed.

"Nothing to be embarrassed about." Les came up behind me, his voice soft. "I'm flattered."

"If I could tell you why it's there…I wouldn't look like a fucking stalker." I pulled out my bathroom bag, my mess of chargers, books and finally the bottom layer of shoes.

"You don't look like a stalker." He ran his finger down the back of my neck, sending a hot shiver to shoot down my spine. I turned around, a boot in my hands. "I am finding you more and more appealing every second."

"Lester, I'm not someone that you probably want to get too invested in." I nibbled my lip, trying to calm those damn hormones. My arms began flailing as I explained. "I'm fucked up. PTSD, TBI, Attachment issues...shit..I'm bitter and crazy. Plus, I am undersexed and overly stimulated. I feel like my brain is half trying to fuck everything with a dick and half trying to kick their ass."

"Was that supposed to convince you or me? Because honestly, you are sounding more and more perfect every time you try to tell me how I shouldn't be looking at you like I am." He grinned and touched my cheek. "I am sure you know of my reputation. Shit, if you know about Tank's real first name; I am sure you know way more than you are leading on. I'm not some walking erection trying to fuck everything I see."

"You're not helping." I crossed my arms over my chest and huffed. Real mature, I thought.

"I don't think I want to help you convince me that you aren't amazing." He winked, and glanced down at his watch. "You gotta get going in a few minutes; otherwise I would continue to prove my point."

"Shit." Glancing down at my watch, I saw that it was 1348. I hate being late, and make it a habit to always be at least fifteen minutes early. I slipped my backpack on, which carried my paperwork, and groaned. "I don't even know where Bobby's office is."

"I'll show you." Les turned, grabbed my hand and lead me out of my apartment. He dropped my hand while I locked up. We rode the elevator to the 2nd floor. Bobby's "office" was actually a mini-hospital that took up the majority of the 2nd floor. Les pointed towards the back of the main area at an office door. Bobby opened the door as we approached.

"Hi." Bobby smiled and tipped his head to Les, who took that as a get out of here and turned around quickly; waving at me as he got onto the elevator. "Let's get started. Did you bring your paperwork?"

Nodding I walked in and took a look around as I handed Bobby my papers. There was an examination table, cupboards lining the walls. The computer, rolling chair and various medical equipment made it look identical to a normal examination room. The walls and cabinets were muted tones of yellow.

"I'm going to be doing a standard physical today." He motioned for me to sit on the exam table and pulled up the rolling chair as he flipped quickly through the summary of my medical records. "Is everything on here correct?"

"Everything but the medications." I shrugged. "I haven't been able to get into the VA."

"Typical." He grumbled and tossed the thick folder on the counter and grabbed a yellow steno pad and pen. "Let's get the basics out of the way shall we?" I nodded as he pulled out the blood pressure cuff and pulse ox. He chuckled as he wrapped the bp cuff around my arm; it was huge. "Sorry, force of habit." Reaching back he pulled the smaller cuff, situated it around my arm and placed the monitor on my finger. "Just relax and don't move your arm." I took a deep breath as he pressed the button starting the machine. "Open." Thermometer.

After a moment or two the machine beeped happily and he removed everything.

"Looking good so far, Doc?" I smiled, leaning over and peeking at what he was writing.

"Of course." His handwriting could have proven his medical training. "Now the fun stuff. Smoke?" I shook my head. "Good Good." Drink?"

"Not enough." I laughed. "Not very often, only socially and that is limited."

"When was your last menses?"

"Uhh…." I thought back, a worried look crossing his face.

"Do you think you could be pregnant?"

"No." I shook my head laughing. "I had a hysterectomy about three years ago. Placental abruption."

"How many pregnancies and births?" He asked solemnly, placing a hand on my knee.

"Four pregnancies and one still born. No live births."

"Opie I'm sorry." Bobby took my hand.

"It's okay. I am glad that I didn't have a child with my ex-husband. I was devastated for a long time, but I know that it was probably for the best." I squeezed his hand when he looked me over trying to see if I was really okay. "Doc, I promise I am okay. I went to therapy for the first couple of years. I promise you that if I start to feel lost, you will be the first one to know."

"Okay." He squeezed my hand and then scribbled on the note pad. "I know this is kind of redundant, but…Do you ever feel like you want to harm yourself or others?"

"Myself, no. Others? Sometimes, but I know the moral boundaries."

"No medications?"

"Only a multivitamin."

"Hormones?" His eyebrow quirked.

"Ovaries still intact. I like having PMS." We chuckled together, and I watched his short hand flow across the page. He stood and grabbed a robe from one of the cabinets by the door and handed it to me.

"Ok, now comes the physical part." He stepped to the door. "Get undressed, down to your…underwear. And I will be back in a minute."

The moment the door shut, I slipped my clothes off, taking a look at the panties that I had put on. Great. They are Batman. I chastised myself internally for wearing them knowing that I was coming here today. I tossed them on a small chair tucked in the corner, tossing my boots under it, and slipping the robe over me. I didn't bother tying the back before I hopped up on the table and wait. As it usually does, time seemed to slow as I waited in the gown. It was at least of nice material, with tiny Rangeman logos speckling the entire thing. After what seemed like an eternity, I crossed my legs and took a few deep breaths. I learned meditation during one of my humanitarian tours to the Far East. I was in full swing; centering myself and everything, when there was a knock on the door.

"Sorry it took so long. Junior came in needing a band aid."

"No problem."

The exam was pretty straight forward. He checked everything and made numerous notes on his note pad. When he reached the tight scarring that puckered my lower stomach and back, he winced.

"Those look like they hurt." He pointed, picking up his pen and making quick note. "Honestly, I'm amazed that you survived something that would cause that."

"It was just a scratch." I winked at him when he looked at me incredulously. "I thought scars added character."

"That they do, Maj." He pulled out a form from the bottom of his notepad and shaded in where my scars were. "So…here's where I get to turn you into a coloring book."

"I hope you have enough crayons." I chuckled. I knew he was documenting my tattoos. I watched as he expertly sketched the large delicate angel wings that covered my back and dipped around my hips. The paw print was easy enough to copy, but he got the position perfect. The small pink hearts and butterflies that flittered across my hysterectomy scar was next, he noted the colors and then looked at me.

"What's the poem?" He pointed to the print located directly under my left breast. I smiled and began reciting as he scribbled.

"Tell me I'm clever; Tell me I'm kind, Tell me I'm talented, Tell me I'm cute, tell me I'm sensitive, Graceful and wise, Tell me I'm perfect – But tell me the truth."

"Shel Silverstein was always a favorite." Bobby finished writing and looked up and me smiling. He shifted and lifted his sleeve far up on his arm, twisting it so that I could see his inner bicep. There was the O with the missing piece. "It's corny I know."

"You're missing your piece." I said before the meaning hit me. "That's beautiful."

"I'll finish it one day." He went back to writing, a blush raising on his ears.

"Yes you will; as soon as you find it." I sighed and enjoyed the complex meaning behind such a simple image.

After that, there was minimal talking. The silence only broken with the occasional friendly command to shift positions, to stand and sit. When we were done, he went to leave again so I could get dressed.

"Doc, you just saw every inch of me. Finish up with your questions while I get dressed." I watched as he tipped his head to one side and nodded. I slipped the robe off, tossing it on the table and grabbed my bra. "So, what's the damage?"

"You are in really good shape." He sounded impressed. "You have good rotation and flexibility. Nothing stands out as having any issues. I can get your medications again, but looking at your chart they are mostly sedatives and anti-anxiety."

"I would prefer not." Zipping my jeans and tank. "They make me feel all crazy."

"Understood. We definitely don't want that." He chuckled again scribbling. "I'm going to take some blood today, and have it checked to make sure there isn't anything going on that we can't see. It will take a couple of days to get the results but I will let you know as soon as I get them. I can trust that you will get your annual woman's exam with a local gynecologist. I can give you some of the ones that I would personally suggest."

"Aww…you mean you aren't used to doing lady bit checks?" I tied my boots and stood.

"I know how, and I have been in numerous rotations in gynecology and obstetritics. If you would feel more comfortable, I can see about getting the proper equipment, but up until now I haven't had many female patients at Rangeman."

"I can go to an outside OBGYN."

"You can come to me with anything, whether it is physical or emotional, but if you are more comfortable seeing an outside physician then I can help you find one." He patted the table. "Let's get some blood drawn and then I'll let you go."

"Wow...you are good." I looked down at the cotton ball that he was now pressing on my inner arm after taking my blood. "I think that was the best blood draw I have ever had."

"Thanks." He finished labeling the tubes, handing them to be to confirm my information and initial. "I have had so many bad sticks that I made sure that I do it right. Plus, I get a lot of practice around here."

"Does it really get that bad?"

"It can." He sighed, slipping the vials into a biohazard transport bag and sealing it. "Mostly superficial shit, but I see gunshot and stab wounds on a weekly basis. Of course, they are only the minor to moderate injuries. The big stuff we ship off to the hospital."

"I'm impressed." I smiled as I swore I saw him blush. "I am sure the other guys have some medical training, but you do all this and still help with take downs. That is impressive."

"Thanks." He took my hand and helped me off the table. "It's nice to hear that. You can imagine that I don't get very much verbal appreciation."

"Well, you better get used to me giving it. I'll see you around, Doc."

He mumbled something chuckling as I walked out of the office and slipped into the elevator. Bobby was a good guy, and a damn hard worker. It's sad that he and the others were never really given the light that they deserved. Shaking my head as the elevator went up to the fifth floor I thought about how I was going to make sure that people knew exactly how important the Merry Men really were.


	4. Chapter 4

I headed into the communications room and looked around for anyone in the core team. The books were right about the caliber of men that Ranger employed. They were all incredibly fit and muscular, but they also were all good looking. Sure, some were better looking than others but there wasn't a single guy that I saw that I didn't find attractive.

"Major Cummings?"

I turned to the voice and saw Junior. His huge frame stood a few feet away from me. I never really took the time I look at Junior when I was here last, but I wish I had. He had very thick soft caramel brown hair that was cut short but long enough to move. He must have been about 6'3" with shoulders that were so wide that I bet he would have to twist to walk thru a doorway. Noticing that I saw him, he made his way towards me. He had one hand in his front pocket and the other one nervously rubbing the back of his neck. He stopped a foot in front of me and lifted his eyes to mine. They were a shockingly bright blue with thick dark eyelashes that any girl would kill more. A small scar split his eyebrow as well as his lip, adding to his rugged good looks.

"Major Cummings, I was hoping I could have a word with you." I watched his mouth as he spoke, entranced with his full lips and super bright white teeth. He must have noticed I was staring because I could see a small blush start inching its way up out of his collar. "Ma'am?"

"Sorry, Junior." I smiled. "I'd be happy to."

He motioned towards a small office past the rows of monitors. I nodded as I headed towards the door. Before I could reach the knob, Junior snuck in front of me and opened the door, holding it open for me. He once again, wordlessly, motioned to sit down. He contemplated closing the office door but seemed torn so I helped him.

"You can close it." I sat down in the chair in front of the desk. "I trust you."

"Thank you." Junior exhaled thankfully, closed the door and pulled up another chair next to mine. "I know we only met for a few moments the last time that you were here, but I wanted you to know that I am sorry for what happened."

"It's okay, really." While I appreciated the heart felt apologies, it was starting to get a little monotonous. "I heard you needed a band aid?"

"Yeah, I guess. How'd you hear about that?" He chuckled and ran his hand through his hair.

"Just had my physical." I shrugged. "What happened? Can I see it?"

"It was just a run in with a crank FTA." He lifted his shirt. There was a large five inch long gash across the lower part of his stomach, right above his belt buckle. It looked like bobby had used medical grade super glue and kept it closed with butterfly bandages. "It's not as bad as it looks."

I reached forward and touched the bandage gingerly, wincing as Junior winced. "That isn't a band aid worthy boo boo." I pulled back, realizing that I was kind of passing the personal space boundary. "I was anticipating a tiny scrape and a Barbie band aid."

"Bobby saves the Barbie band aids for Les." He shook his head and smoothed his shirt back down. "And my 'boo boo' is not that big of a deal. Just a scratch."

"Junior, can I ask you a question?" I changed the subject.

"Anything." He smiled.

"Uhh." Man that smile made my brain go all fuzzy. "Umm…oh, yeah. Is that your real name, or is it nickname?"

"It's a nickname and kind of my real name as well." He crossed his hands in front of him. "My name is Rupert Vincent Scrivener II. It's the kind of name that some arrogant British prick would have so I don't like to use it. My father is English and my mother is Irish. They didn't want me to be a Jr and thought that making me a "Second" would make me sound more regal. When I joined the Navy, you can imagine the shit I would get from my name. I was nicknamed Junior to make fun the "Second". It stuck, and honestly it's a hell of a lot better than my real name."

"I actually like the name Rupert." I giggled. "It reminds me of some tawdry romance novel hero."

"I have never heard anyone explain it like that." His laugh flowed out of him, sending ripples of excitement through me."

"Rupert?" I tested. He smiled and tipped his eyebrows slightly. "Call me Opie, okay? Or Ophelia if you must. It's less formal than Major Cummings."

"I'll call you Opie but could I ask you not call me Rupert in front of the guys. They can be assholes sometimes." He bit his lip, which was adorable and took my hand in his. I nodded. "When it's just you and me….then I would love for you to call me by my real name."

There was a quick knock and the door opened. Tank strolled in, stopping in his tracks when he noticed that Junior's hand was holding mine. An eyebrow shot up, and I extracted my hand quickly. Junior snickered and stood.

"Tank." He smiled, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Everything good?" Tank looked from me to him. "Bobby needs you to come back down . You left before he could update your tetanus."

"Thank you for chatting with me, Opie." Junior put out his hand and I shook it. "Hopefully we can get together again soon for lunch or something."

"I'd like that." I watched him walk out the door and stood to walk out. Tank put out his hand. I looked up at him, my eyebrow high.

"Tomorrow morning at 0500 at the gym." He smiled. "Your first PT test. Bobby and I will be grading you."

"Sounds good." I smirked, knowing it kind of ruffled his feathers that I had a better PT average. "Hope you guys don't have a problem counting really high."

"Smart ass." His laugh was hearty and deep. "Go get yourself settled. If you need anything, let me know." He pulled out a piece of folded paper from his side pocket. "This is the roster; phone numbers, extensions. The second page is your tentative schedule."

"Thanks." I took it and looked over it quickly. I stopped when I saw Ranger's personal cell number. "No way." I pulled out my cell phone and looked at the numbers. "Seriously? Ranger's cell phone number spells Babe?"

"Really?" Tank smiled and winked mischievously. "I never would have thought of that."

"Ooooh…Tank." I chuckled and playfully punched his shoulder. "You keep that up and you might have a new best friend."

Shaking his head he turned and walked out, with me on his heels.

He headed towards his office as I stood in the middle of the communication room and looked around; my hands on my hips. I wasn't really ready to head back to my new apartment, but I really didn't want to go out and get lost in the underbelly of Trenton either. After a few moments I decided that I was going to give myself my own grand tour.

After an hour of wandering around the building I had officially met every Merry Man that I had ever heard of, as well as a couple dozen others that had never been mentioned in the books. Making my way down to my apartment, I grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and headed towards my computer. I pulled up a word document that I had made years ago, after I read the first half dozen books. It was a complete list of all the Rangeman in alphabetical order. My eyes scrolled down it:

Benny Binkie Bobby Brown Bones

Brett Caesar Cal: Chester Deuce

Chester Rodriguez Chet Eddie Ella and Louis

Erik Gene Hal Hank

Hector Jim Junior Lester Santos

Manuel Martin Beam Martin Romeo Miguel

Ram Ramon Raphael Roger King

Roy Sal Silvio Slick  
Sybo Diaz Tank: Victor Zullick Vince

Vincent Gomez Woody Zero Zip

I added the new dozen or so that I had met today, saved the document and closed the computer. Maybe one day, I could tell my girlfriend about my adventure or send her a picture of the guys. She and had met through a fanfiction website, and spent hours talking about our favorite Merry Men. I had only met her a few times, one of them being right before I met Diesel. Maybe that is why he was able to cross whatever divide that he crossed to get to me that first time. We had both wished that we could crawl into the Plum-verse and have your HEA with a Merry Man.

Sighing, I decided that I should probably get some laundry done. Otherwise I was going to be either naked or wearing dirty clothes. I walked into my bedroom and stopped. The bed was made and the laundry hamper was empty. Panicking I opened the closet and found that it was filled. My clothes were cleaned, pressed and organized within the closet. There was a giant section that was filled with black Rangeman uniforms. The closet was a pretty good size closet and I was amazed that my clothes actually filled it as much as it had.

Stepping closer I examined a shirt that I didn't recognize.

"What the.." I flipped through the clothes. More than half of them weren't mine. "Seriously."

I pulled out the roster Tank had given me, scrolled down and dialed the number.

"Santos." Les' voice flew through the phone.

"Lester Santos, did you get my clothes washed?" I was irritated, but mostly embarrassed. I prided myself in being an independent person, and have never had anyone do my laundry.

"Goregous?" I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Yea yea….I guess that's me." I pulled open the top dresser drawer and slammed it shut; closing my eyes in frustration. "Why do I have strange panties in my dresser?"

"I might have told Ella that you had some laundry that needed to be done." He chuckled. "Unfortunately, the panties I can't take responsibility for."

"Is this something that I should be expecting?" I grimaced, pulling out the drawer again and picking up a very tiny lacy pair of panties. "Jesus, these things are tiny! What's the point of wearing underwear that doesn't cover anything?"

"I think the point of those is not the wearing, but the taking off."

"You are probably right." I sighed, pushing it back into the drawer and leaning against the dresser to close it. "What are you up to?" I cringed, thumping the heel of my hand against my forehead. I sounded like a fucking teenager.

"Well…." His voice lowered and became sultrier. "About 9 inches, but on a good day I can push 10."

"There's the Lester Santos I fell in love with." I snorted in laughter.

"I think I'm blushing." He teased. "What are you up to? Other than proclaiming your love for me and fingering your panties."

"Someone has to finger my panties." I grumbled quietly, obviously not quietly enough because I was rewarded with a burst of laughter from Les.

"I'll be home in about an hour. I'll bring something to eat and we can discuss your panty issue."

The line clicked ending the call. I sank to the floor in the bedroom; mildly mortified, more turned on. I thumped the back of my head against the dresser. Being here has increased my hormone levels to an all-time high, and because of the flirting from all the sexy ass men my confidence is through the roof. I struggled internally debating between allowing myself to give in to some carnal desires and maintain some level of professionalism.

With one last thunk against the dresser, I stood and went to the closet. I emerged five minutes later wearing a sports bra, black shorts and sneakers. I reached into my bathroom bag and dug out a hair band and brush. My earphones were a little harder to find, but I managed to get them without any real digging. Plugging one into my ear, I pushed myself out of my bedroom, out of the apartment and off to the gym. I was going to run off this frustration if it took me all night.

I had been running for over an hour, doing a little hand dance when I hit mile seven. Picking up my pace I kept pushing I wanted to hit ten miles before I stopped. I haven't been running in a few weeks, and was worried that I had totally lost it. The music pumped through my ear buds as I powered on.

I cheered as I rounded the "corner" to start the last lap of the ninth mile. I was thinking about how I was going to celebrate when the music suddenly stopped and a very loud beep sounded through my earbuds. I yelped and mis-stepped, flying off the treadmill and landing in a heap in front of a very shocked Binky. The beep sounded again, and I frantically flipped over and pulled my phone out of the small pocket of my shorts.

"What the fuck!" I panted out, my breathing quickened from not only the run, but the sudden connection with the floor.

"Jesus, Gorgeous, you okay?" Les' voice called through the phone, his concern evident.

"Shit fuck damnit ass!" The expletives exploded out of me. "Fuck."

"So…..is that a yes?" He chuckled.

"God damnit." I puffed, closing my eyes for a moment. When I opened them, Binky was crouching over me with a sweet grin on his face. "Don't just sit there staring at my tits, Binky. Help me up."

"Yes, ma'am." His eyes widened and he pulled me up onto my feet.

"Thank you, Pumpkin." I kissed his cheek and got back to to Les on the phone. "You almost cost Binky to lose an eye, Lester." I hobbled out of the gym, and made my way to the elevator.

"My interest is piqued."

"What's up?" I slumped into the elevator and pressed the fourth floor. The elevator began it's ascent.

"I just got here, was wondering if you were still interested in dinner?" Before I could answer the elevator stopped at the 2nd floor and there standing in front of me was Les, holding a giant paper bag and chewing on his bottom lip. I smiled and cleared my throat. His eyes met mine and he smiled, stowing his phone back into a pocket and getting into the elevator. "You look like you had a good run."

"Meh…I was about to hit ten miles when someone broke my concentration." I poked his ribs. "Oh yeah…causing me to fly off the treadmill and land in front of Binky." He burst out laughing, doubling over and gasping for breath.

"Geeze. Thanks for the concern. I'm fine, really." I slugged his arm playfully.

"Sorry, Goregous." He stood and wiped away his eyes. The elevator door opened and we strode forward, stopping and looking at our apartment doors. "Let me go change and I'll be over in a minute."

He disappeared into his apartment, and I into mine. I slipped into the shower and quickly scrubbed and washed. As I stepped out of the shower I heard a knock.

"Come on in." I hollered, slipping into my bedroom and waiting until I heard the door open. I got dressed, slipping on my favorite lounge clothes; gray and pink shorts with a gray tank top. I did the once over, grabbing a large tooth comb before heading out.

Les was standing in the living room, the giant paper bag in his hand. He was wearing low slung blue basketball shorts and a pristine white tank. He smirked as I eyed him, opened mouthed. Damn that man is hot.

"You ready to eat?" His chest and shoulders shaking in silent laughter. I watched as he quirked an eyebrow and looked me up and down. "I like the jammies."

"Thanks." My face flushed. "So, what's on the menu?"

We sidled up on the couch and he opened the bag. The amazing aroma that exploded out of it gave indication that it was going to be amazing.

"I stopped by Rossini's." He pulled out a large oval take out box and set in on the coffee table in front of me. 'I wasn't sure what you would like, so I told the chef to give me something special." I didn't open it until he had his open and handed me cutlery.

"This smells heavenly." I breathed deep and took a bite. "Oh my god.." I hummed pleasantly and devoured half of my food until I looked up at him. He had a tilted smile on his face and was biting on the end of his fork watching me.

"What?" I blushed. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No." He took a bite, chewed and swallowed. "I just love a woman that can appreciate food."

We finished eating, making casual conversation. We were lounging after we cleaned up with our feet propped up on the table and a beer in our hands.

"That was great, Les." I said. "I appreciate it."

"No problem, Gorgeous." He patted my leg and sat up. "It's getting late. I should probably head back to my place."

"Les?" I stood and we walked towards our common door. "This job is really important to me."

"I know, Opie."

"I have to be honest." I picked at the cuticle of my right hand. "I have thought about you..and all the Merry Men more than is probably healthy. I am hormonal, emotional and am in the perfect mindset to really fuck up my life….again."

"Opie.." Les put his hands on either side of my face and looked into my eyes. "I won't take advantage of you. None of us would."

"I'm not worried about being taken advantage of." I chuckled. "I'm worried more about me attacking someone in the stairwell and dry humping them."

"That bad, huh?" He leaned closer and his eyes darkened. My heart sped up and heat flushed through me.. He tipped my chin up with his curled index finger and looked into my eyes. "That information isn't encouraging me to not take advantage."

"Les, I can't…"

He pressed a soft kiss to my lips and then tapped me on the nose. "I won't do anything without your go ahead."

"Just focus on what you need to do, Opie." Les' eyes were soft and his tone concerning. "I can't say that I won't flirt with you, nor that anyone else will be able to stop their eyes from wandering occasionally. When you are ready, you let me know."

"Thanks Les."

He winked and turned leaving me standing in front of the door. I clicked the lock shut, probably more for me then Les. Thumping my head softly against the door, I tried to squell the raging hormones that were coursing through me. Taking a deep breath I flipped off the lights and went to bed. Tomorrow is the start to my new life and I was going to devote every part of myself to making it perfect. No matter how many shower heads I needed to go through.


	5. Chapter 5

The past four weeks have been a blur of training, working, and living the life that I wanted. I have gained back the weight that I had lost during that year before I was plunked back into the Plum-verse. Les kept his promise, and while he flirted; he never crossed the line. None of the guys did, and even though I did spent many nights under the teeth chattering cold showers I felt like I was happier than I have been.

Ranger had pulled me aside a week or so after I had gotten settled in my apartment and asked to speak to me privately.

Three weeks ago…..

"Opie?" Ranger peeked into my office; Yes. MY office. "You got a minute?"

"Of course." I gathered the paperwork that I had been working on and filed it in my desk drawer. "What can I do for you?"

He slid into my office and closed the door. He slumped into the seat across from my desk and sighed.

"Whoa…Ranger, a sigh?" I giggled. "Must be pretty bad."

"Opie, why am I such an asshole?" He groaned, leaning forward and cradling his face in his palms.

"Maybe you have mommy issues?" He glared at me as I walked around my desk and leaned against my desk in front of him. "Ranger." I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest. "I'm assuming that you are talking about you and Steph."

"Yeah." He leaned forward and looked up at me. "Opie, I know that you have some pretty serious inside information. I need to know what I should do. I can single handedly take out a Mexican cartel, but this is the hardest thing I have ever done."

"Have you talked to her about how you feel yet?" I think I knew the answer. In the books, he was never one to really offer up information.

"She knows that I love her." He cracked his knuckles. "I mean, she has to know."

"Stand up, Batman." I reach out and pull his arm. He stands and quirks an eyebrow at me; he is very expressive. It's kind of hard to believe that people haven't caught on to his subtle facial ques. "We are going to do some roleplaying."

"Opie, I don't think..." He grumbled, but I interrupted.

"Yeah, I know but I won't hold it against you." I wink as he gives me the Ranger death glare. "Listen, I want you to talk to me like I was Steph. Okay?"

"This is ridiculous." He shook his head. I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. "Fine. Fine."

I pulled the hair band securing my hair into a ponytail and shook out my hair. As I was fluffing it, he chuckled. "What?"

"You are insane."

"I need to get into character." I puckered my lips and winked at him. "Give it to me Big Boy."

"Uhh….Steph."

"Wrong." I shook my head. "That is NOT what you would call me."

"Fine." Taking a deep breath, he picked up my hand and looked into my eyes. "Babe."

I bit my lips. Jesus, that man is sexy as hell. "Yeah, Ranger?" I whispered.

"Babe, You know how I feel about you."

"Not really." I pretended to chew gum. "You never tell me anything…well, unless it was riddled with qualifiers."

"Shit, she would never say that." His hand raked across his face. "This is stupid."

"Fine. Let me be you, and you just sit there and be Stephanie, okay?"

"You are going to be me?" He chuckled and shook his head.

"I am pretty damn good at being Ranger." I huffed. "Now, stand there are look cute."

"Fine." He stood, arms crossed over his chest. I ran my hand through my hair and took a deep breath. Taking a large step towards him so that I was just in inch from his face, I spoke softly.

"Babe." I touched his face, cupping his cheek in my hand. Ranger stiffened. "Relax, you may have been my fantasy man but I'm not a home wrecker." I got back into character. "Babe, Stephanie, I need you to understand exactly what I feel for you." I ran my finger along his bottom lip.

"Uhh..." His eyebrow quirked. I shushed him and continued.

"I told you that I love you in my own way, and I do. I love you the only way that I know how. I love you with everything that I am, and everything that I can be for you." As I spoke Ranger's eyes softened and a smile started to curl on his lips. "I was an idiot to send you back to Morelli after our deal. I was scared. I don't deserve to have a woman like you. I don't deserve the unconditional love you have shown me. The support that you have given me without question."

"Opie..." Ranger closed his eyes and I dropped my hand from his face and took his hand.

"You are the strongest, bravest, sexiest woman I have ever known." I curled my hand in his. My heart broke, knowing that this is what I always wanted someone to say to me. "I am a better man when I am with you, and I want to be that man forever."

I looked him in the eyes, and smiled. "You promised her forever, Ranger."

"I did." His voice was soft and he stared at our hands. "I told her that someday we could have our forever."

"Give her that someday, Carlos." I tipped his chin so that he would look me in the eyes. "Stephanie Plum is not like any other woman you have ever met, is she?" He shook his head and smiled. "You want her in your bed, and not just in a sexual way. When you told her that, it wasn't sexual was it?"

"I want her. All of her." He sighed and covered the hand tipping his chin with his own.

"Tell her." I urged. "Tell her that your bed is not just sex. You want her wrapped around you every morning. And curled against you every night. You want anything that she will give you, but what you don't understand is that she wants to give you every single part of her. She is willing…she wants this."

"How do you know…"

"Ranger, I wish that I could tell you, but you know that I can't." I took a ragged breath, surprised at I was getting emotional. I sniffed back a tear. "She has what I always wanted…what every woman wants. A man who loves her...respects her and that she can trust will never hurt her. I know you never intended on hurting her, and she actually blames herself more than you…but she is hurting. Every night she goes to bed I can guarantee that she slips on your Rangeman t-shirt after showering with the body wash she snuck out of your bathroom. She closes her eyes wrapping herself in you."

"She…" His eyes searched mine.

"She is so in love with you that it hurts watching the two of you not just acknowledge it." I wiped away a tear and pulled my hands from his. "Tell her. Tell her everything. She isn't going to hate you, or be afraid of you. You are not some unrealistic superhero. She knows that."

"I have been so stupid." He flopped down into the chair, running his hand through his hair.

"You have." I put my hand on his shoulder. "But so has she. Don't let her run away. Don't let her hide. Don't let her use her stupid family or the Burg from letter her do what she wants and needs to be happy."

Ranger sat quietly deep in his thoughts before he shot to his feet and ran to my door. He ripped open the door, and yelled over his shoulder "Thanks Opie. I owe you."

I ran to my door and watched him run full tilt around the cubbies in the communication room before stopping just in front of Steph's. Tank, noticing Ranger bolt from my office, was standing at his door way watching.

"Just watch." I told Tank. I wiped away my eyes and smiled.

Ranger pulled Steph to her feet, wrapped his arms around her and kissing her. She looked like a deer in headlights. The communication room was always fairly quiet, but a running Ranger caused everyone to stop and look.

"Is he…" Tank began; a smile breaking across his face.

We watched as he pulled back, taking her hands in his. I couldn't hear what he was saying but by the look on Steph's face it was probably similar to what I had just told him. After a few minutes, Steph had tears rolling down her cheeks. My heart stopped as Ranger dropped to one knee, taking her hand in his.

"Holy fuck." Tank and I whispered together. As she nodded, the room erupted in cheers. Ranger pulled her tightly to him and they kissed. Another tear ran down my cheek. I was so happy that they finally were allowing themselves to have their someday but the fact that I was still so alone brought up bitterness. I swallowed the bitterness down and turned back towards my office.

"Opie." Tank's voice was soft. "I don't know how you did it, but thank you."

"Tank!" Ranger's voice echoed off the room. Tank turned and tipped his head up acknowledging Ranger. "Steph and I are offline."

I continued into my office, closed my door and went back to work.

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Steph and Ranger spent the next two weeks shacked up in his apartment on the seventh floor. The core team and I took up Ranger's responsibilities during his absence, but none of us were bitter about it. I kept up with my schedule; working, exercise, more work and more exercise. I left my apartment before the sun rose, and returned after the sun goes down. It was nice, because it left me with little to no time to really sit down and think about all those feelings that I had that day that I spoke to Ranger in my office.

I was jealous. I wanted that love that they had. I tried to get it with my ex-husband, but obviously that didn't go well. I had cut off any chance of love the day I started here at Rangeman, and not that I wasn't grateful that I kept my professionalism, but my loneliness was eating at me.

Diesel was in and out so often that I stopped expecting him altogether. We still communicated daily via text message and email, but I was hoping that he would be coming back to Trenton soon. As I was contemplating Diesel's current situation, chasing a bunch of rocks with Wolfe, a knock sounded at my door.

"Come in!" I called out. The door opened and Steph came in, giving me a finger wave as she closed the door. "Wow…It's about time." I chuckled.

"Yeah. I know I know." She blushed and plopped down in the leather chair that Ranger had sat in two weeks prior. "How have you been?"

"Good." I quickly filed the papers on my desk and leaned on the now clean surface. "How have you been?" I noticed her staring at the huge rock that now adored her left ring finger. "Steph." She looked up and I winked and smiled. Her blush deepened as a giggle escaped her lips. "I'm glad that you two finally figured your shit out."

"Thanks to you." She winked. "Ranger and I spent days talking. He told me all about your chat. I don't know what you told him, but he finally opened up. I don't think I have ever been this happy."

"I'm glad." I smiled weakly, trying to put on a good face but feeling like I was failing miserably. "I really didn't do anything. I just told him what the both of you already knew. That you were so in love with each other that it was just stupid that you weren't together."

"Everything okay, Opie?" Steph leaned forward in her chair. "The guys said that you have been working yourself crazy."

"I'm good." I sat up a little bit more. "I'm just trying to get acquainted. It's a lot of stuff to learn and even more stuff to fix. They may be bad asses, but they lack some business skills."

"Have you been stuck inside this whole time?" She looked at me questioning whether or not I would tell her the truth. I shrugged. "You have!?"

"It's not that I am stuck. I just don't have much to do outside of the building." I fiddled with my pen.

"Opie that is just a bullshit excuse." Steph crossed her arms and harrumphed. I laughed as she rolled her eyes. "How about a girl's night? Well, a Rangeman night?"

"What exactly would that entail?" I arched my eyebrow, knowing she couldn't do it and it irritated her.

"Just getting dinner, drinks and dancing."

"I could do that. But you'll have to help me pick out something to wear."

"I can do that." She scrunched her face in thought. "Let's plan it for this Friday."

"I don't know if that's going to work." I sighed. "We have a distraction on schedule for Friday night. The meeting isn't until this afternoon, so only Tank and I really know about it."

"Well, shit."

"We could still do it." I smiled. "Maybe Saturday night? That way we will be all rested."

"Rested." She chuckled. "I don't think the guys know the meaning of the word."

She stood, gave me a finger wave and strode out of my office. I thunked my head onto my desk, hard enough to make my teeth rattle.

"Trouble in paradise?" A voice from my doorway startled me, causing me to shriek and jump. Being as graceful as I am, I tipped my chair over and landed with a sickening crunch with my legs up in the air.

"Fucking horse shit!" I shouted, grabbing the back of my head. I had hit it on the large wooden rim of my leather chair, causing small dots to appear before my eyes and a horrid nauseous taste in my mouth. "Jesus Christ, ya'll need to fucking wear bells."

Footsteps rushed up and I saw Les crouching down next to me. "Everything okay, Gorgeous?" He put out his hand and I took it as he pulled me to my feet. The change in position caused a sharp pain to shoot through my head.

"Fuck!" I ground my teeth, squeezing my eyes shut until the weird taste in my mouth went away. I peeked open one eye and looked at Les with as much of a one-eyed murderous stare as I could muster. The concern on his face quickly slipped to a smile. "Fucker."

"Sorry." He tried to reign in his laughter but failed. "You need to be..."

"Yeah yeah. Fuck you and your fucking surroundings." I rubbed the back of my head, pulling out the hair band that kept it in a messy bun on the top. "What did you need, Les?"

"I was bringing in the paper work that you requested from my team." He pointed at the stack of papers that were haphazardously tossed on my desk. "If you can't read the handwriting, just let me know."

"Maybe in between your physical training and range time, ya'll could practice penmanship." I growled taking the pile and tapping them on the desk until all the edges were straight. I groaned as I looked at the top page. "Seriously!" I flipped it over and showed him the top page. "Cal writes like a second grader."

"Something bugging you?" He crossed his arms and dipped his chin, focusing his eyes on mine. "I know its Thursday and all, but you seem a little extra cranky."

"I'm not cranky." I glowered, realizing that yes indeed I was one cranky ass bitch. I sighed, and waved my arms around. "I don't know what is going on with me. I have the best job…my dream job. I have awesome friends, no money problems. I'm in a funk."

"Is it maybe…" Les looked skyward, as if the words he was searching for would appear like magic above him. "Maybe that time of the month?"

"Fucking typical." I slugged his shoulder. Obviously it wasn't hard enough to cause pain, but he grabbed it none the less looking wounded. "I'm not PMSing. I'm just so…" I stopped. I knew exactly what it was, and there was no way in hell I was letting him in on it. "I'm just tired."

"I'll let you think I believe that for now." Les uncrossed his arms and pulled me into his chest. I wrapped my arms around him and breathed in. He smelled heavenly. Like peppermint and Eternity and a little gun cleaner. "Just promise me that you will come to me when you are ready to talk about it. Otherwise I am going to have to just make you tell me."

"Yeah Yeah." I squeezed him again before dropping my arms and leaning back out of him embrace. He shook his head and pulled me tighter. "Les, I have to get back to work. There's a meeting at one and I need to get the power point done."

"One more minute." He whispered, planting a kiss on the top of my head and smoothing out my hair with his hand. I sighed into his embrace, snuggling into his chest and wrapping my arms around him again. We stood there for a few more minutes and I could feel the anxiety to roll off of me. "Feel better?"

"Yes. Thanks." We pulled away together. I ran my hand through my hair and winced when I hit the lump where I hit the chair. "Ow."

"Let me see." I tipped my head down and he rummaged through my hair. I yelped quietly as he hit the bump and he breathed in through his teeth. "Sorry, Gorgeous." He leaned down and kissed it. "There. All better."

"Wow. You're right. I feel perfectly fine." Sarcasm oozing out of my mouth. He winked and strode out of my office. I watched as he walked away, biting my lip as I zoomed in on his ass. "Damn." I whispered jumping as my phone rang.

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Two hours later, we were all sitting around the main conference room. I had my PowerPoint up and going through the information that we had on Courtney Galliger, our target.

"Galliger, Courtney. Age 37." I began, handing Tank the pile of printouts to pass around. "White male, red hair, blue eyes. 6'4". 285 pounds. "

"He's one ugly mother fucker." Cal snickered and flipped through his paperwork.

"His bond was revoked after his ex-girlfriend, Dannika Forlen, pressed charges of domestic assault, terroristic threats, and stalking." I clicked the slide, showing the police report which includes pictures of his ex. "His original charges were: aggravated battery, sexual assault, terroristic threats, breaking and entering, petty theft and last but not least public indecency."

"Damn, sounds like he was trying to get a bingo." Bobby chuckled to himself. I looked at him, eyebrow quirked. "You know…like getting all the letters so that….ugh...nevermind."

"Okay." I flipped to the next slide. "Cal and Ram have been monitoring his home and place of business but he has yet to be seen. We received information that he frequents a strip club south of the city. The owners, Bucky and Barbie McClumb, have allowed us to come into their business, but they don't want the apprehension in-house."

"We have the blueprints of the club. It's an old rickety building that I doubt has passed a fire code since it was built in the 1940s." Cal stood next to me, clicking on the next slide. A 3-d image of the building flickered on, and he began his part of the presentation as I took my seat next to Ranger.

"You do that?" Ranger whispered, pointing at the 3-d image as it toured the building virtually. I nodded. "That's amazing. I didn't realize you would have had time…shit...I didn't realize you could do that period."

"Thanks." I shook my head. "It's a hobby. It's actually pretty simple to do, but the software is just a demo. If this helps out, I could send you my proposal for purchasing the complete software."

"I will be looking forward to it." Ranger sat back and folded his hands in front of him on the table. I turned my attention back to Cal, who was answering questions about the structure. I was impressed with myself, and how well the program worked despite it being a demo.

The men scribbled notes and continued to ask questions until Cal motioned for me to take over again. He sat down as I took my spot in front of the room.

"The plan is this, Gentleman and lady." I winked at Steph who was currently in the back of the room getting a second cup of coffee. She blushed and hurried back to her seat. " Intel supports that a simple distraction will be the best bet to get him out of the building. After researching his previous lovers, and victims, that he has a thing for petite white women. Steph, you will work perfectly." I watched as she slipped her coffee and soaked in what I was telling her. "He's a typical douche bag. He will want to be complemented, and have his ego stroke."

"Those are always fun." She rolled her eyes. "Do we know if he carries a gun? A knife?"

"He doesn't have anything registered to him, but that doesn't mean much." I sighed. "His last arrest record states that he was carrying a small pocket knife. It is engraved with his father's name, so I assume that it is something that he would carry with him all the time. He hasn't been arrested for any gun crimes, but I did scour his social media accounts and found that he does seem to have some pictures of him carrying various weapons."

"You went through his Facebook?" Tank chuckled.

"You would be surprised what people post on their accounts, and the private messages that they exchange." I flipped to the last slide, but was interrupted before I could continue.

"Hold up." Ram raised his hand. "You hacked his accounts?"

"Well…yeah." I laughed. "It's pretty simple. He is a social media whore: twitter, Instagram, Myspace, even Pinterest." I waited for a response, but since none came I continued. "He is a bit of a boozer. So, don't let him get you alone. We are going to have guys positioned evenly throughout the building, and behind the bar."

"Were will you be?" She asked, finishing up her coffee and picking at the Styrofoam.

"I'll be waiting outside to assist with the return." I put my hands on my hips. "So, any questions?"

There was silence.

"Good." I clapped my hands and then looked at Ranger. "Do you have anything you want to add?"

He shook his head and I dismissed the meeting. As the men, and Steph, filed out Tank held back and helped me gather my stuff together.

"You did good, Pumpkin." Tank smiled, putting his hand on my shoulder. "I can't even tell you how much you have improved the daily around here."

"Thanks, Big guy." I logged out of the intranet on the computer. "It's a lot to take on, but I think that there are some other things that I might be able to streamline."

"My door is always open. I love hearing your ideas." He picked up half my stuff and began to follow me out of the conference room. "Opie, you are a breath of fresh air. This place needed someone like you, and I am so glad that you decided to take a second shot at us."

"Me too, Big guy. Me too."

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8

Later that night, I stumbled into my dark apartment. I had ventured out, almost bitterly, hitting the food court at the mall. After I had my fill of the super authentic Chinese meal, complete with fries, in the food court I strolled through the department stores. I had purchased some new bedding; extra pillows and a bunch of things that I probably didn't need but thought that were cool. I had stopped by a laundry mat down the road from the building and dropped off the bedding to be cleaned so I could use it tonight. From there, I wandered around the neighborhood, checking out the shops and boutiques. When I finally arrived back, I had quite a bit of new things to add to my apartment. Staggering under the bags that were digging into my arms I managed to trip over the ottoman in front of the sofa and slammed into the floor.

"Son of a bitch!" I yelled, my shin dinging the leg of the ottoman. I laid there; face down in the carpet, bags strewn around me still tangled on my arms. "Fuck my life." I grumbled, took a deep breath and screamed out in frustration.

"Opie?" Les' voice came from the other side of our shared space. I didn't move when I heard the common door open. I had stopped locking the door a week ago. "Jesus Opie." He flipped the light, chuckled and came over to me. "This is just not your day."

"Fuck my life." I repeated into the carpet. I sighed and flipped over, the bags flopping over me. "Les I swear. I just can't get right today."

"Opie, you are perfect." He reached down, wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me to my feet. "What did you get?" He began unwrapping the bags from around my arms, rubbing at the bright red rings they left.

"New bedding and stuff." I shrugged, taking two of the bags and began walking back to my bedroom. "Wanna help me get them on?"

"Sure." He followed and watched as I pulled out the four extra pillows and the sheets. "That's a lot of pillows, Opie." He chuckled and helped put on the sheets.

"It's for my nest." I shrugged. "Wanna grab the comforter?" I pointed a bag behind him.

"I like this." He pulled it out and we spread it over bed before beginning the pillow cases. "So what's a nest?"

"I'll show you." I laughed. We finished casing the pillows and he tossed the last one on the bed. "Okay, so this is how it works."

I jumped up on my bed and positioned the, now six pillows, around me. Two were in the normal spot against the headboard. The other two were on either side of me, as I lay on my side, cocooning me.

"Opie?"

"It's super comfy." I explained. Wrapping my arms around the pillows in front of me and putting my leg up on them. "See, it's like a nest."

I looked up at Les, who's head was cocked to one side. He had a look on his face somewhere between amused and horrified.

"What?"

"Opie." He shook his head and leaned down tossing the four extra pillows onto the floor. "You don't need a nest."

"Hey! I like sleeping in my nest." I sat up and went to reach for my pillows.

"Stop." Les said, curling up into my bed next to me. "This is what you need." He pulled me tightly against him; my head nestled in the crook of his shoulder and my leg up over his hip. He wrapped his arm around me and placed the other behind his head. "See, much better."

"Les..." I began, lifting my head to face him. He tightened his grip.

"Opie just let me enjoy it." He sighed and I snuggled back down into his arms. This was incredibly comfortable. I seemed to fit perfectly. After a few minutes I felt my eyes get really heavy.

"Les, I'm going to fall asleep."

"Go ahead." He kissed the top of my head. "I'll be here if you need me."

"Les, I have to lock up. Plug in my phone. Get my Pajamas on." I began rattling off in my head an even longer list.

"Fine." He sat up. "I'll be back in ten minutes." He kissed my forehead and strode out of my room.

I sat for a moment staring, before scrambling off my bed. Stuffing the bags into my closet I pulled out a pair of pajamas and rushed into the bathroom. I stripped, brushed my teeth, washed my face and changed into my pajamas before brushing my teeth.

"What am I doing?" I asked myself as I looked in the mirror. Shaking my head I continued out to my bedroom and plugged my phone in and double checked my alarm. I continued into my living room, locking my apartment door and turning off the lights. As I was sitting on my bed putting lotion on my arms and legs I heard Les come in through the common door.

"Alright." He called out. "I got my Pjs on…my teeth are brushed and I am ready for bed."

He stopped as he got to the bedroom door. I looked up and burst out laughing.

"Were you watching me?" Les asked a huge smile on his face. I looked down at my pajamas and then back at him. We were both wearing Pokémon pajamas. He had black sleep pants with the characters splattered all over them, while I had a t-shirt and shorts with Squirtle on it.

"I never knew you like Pokémon." I finished lotioning my legs and stood to return it to my dresser. I turned and Les was standing at the foot of my bed. "You know, you don't have to..."

"Which side do you want?" He smiled, and pointed. "Usually I sleep on the left, but I can go either way.

"I can do the right." I watched as he pulled back the covers on the right hand side and swept his arm, motioning for me to get in. Taking a deep breath as I did.

"Door opened or closed?" He asked walking towards it and shutting it putting the room into almost complete darkness.

"Closed." I snuggled down getting comfortable, stopping at the sight of the bathroom door. "Shit."

"What?" He stopped mid step.

"I forgot to close the bathroom and closet door." I watched his darkened figure walk over and close both doors before hopping into the bed next to me. "Thanks."

"I get it." He set his cell phone on the bedside table closest to him and stretched. "Come here, Gorgeous."

I snuggled into him tentatively. He sighed and reached down and hitched my leg up over him, leaving his hand curled at the crux of my knee.

"There much better." He wiggled a little, and positioned his arm back under his head before sighing.

"Les?" My voice quiet.

"Hmmm?"

"Is this gonna make things awkward?" I bit my lip nervously.

"Never." He kissed my hair, snuggling me into his arms. "Just between the two of us, I may need this just as much as you do."

"Never thought you were the snuggling kind." I chuckled and wrapped my arm over his chest.

"Usually I'm not. But somehow it just seems right." I smiled my head bobbing slightly as he laughed. "Opie, you make me think about a lot of things that are Un-Lester-like."

"Thanks, Les." Yawning.

"You're more than welcome, amante." Les' voice was soft and sleepy. "Good night."

"Night."

I fell into a deep restful sleep. Feeling more relaxed and safe then I have in years.


	6. Chapter 6

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: It has been a while since I updated. Life gets in the way of pleasure WAY too much. Hope that you enjoy this chapter, and I will hopefully have another up soon. Lots of loves and Huggles…ObsessiveReader22**

The buzzing of my alarm woke me. Les and I were still entangled, but in a different position then we fell asleep. Les was mostly on his stomach, with my arm wrapped under and around him; my hand tucked slightly into the waistband at the small of his back. My other arm was hooked under his arm and my hand was splayed across the space between his shoulder blades. His hands were placed one under the pillow and the other fisted in my hair gently. His chin rested on top of my head, which was curled into his chest. His leg was between my own, his knee pressed up against my butt. I didn't move, enjoying the warmth and intimacy.

"Mmmrph." Les grumbled, tucking me tighter against him. "Don't wanna."

"Les." My voice now muffled by his bicep in front of my face. "You are going to smother me."

He picked up his head slightly and took in our sleeping arrangement; his face breaking into a huge smile.

"Is that your hand down my pants?" He chuckled, wiggling his hips against me.

"Perv." I pushed away and started to untangle myself.

"No." He pulled me against him again. "Let's just sleep in a bit."

"Les, I have to get to the gym. Bobby is going to be wondering…"

"No." He pouted, tightening his grip on me. I sighed and relaxed back into our embrace. I heard his breath slow and soon he was asleep.

"Les." I whispered to myself more than him, before closing my eyes and taking a quick cat nap.

I woke up to someone poking my shoulder. I grumbled and wiggled away deeper into Les arms, but the poking continued. Les, noticing my movements, tightened his grip and growled.

"That's fucking adorable."

My eyes shot open, and peeked around Les' shoulder. Bobby's face met mine. I gasped, startled at how close he was. Les rolled on top of me, covering me completely, before frantically looking around. Seeing that it was Bobby he slumped down against me.

"Fuck, Brown." Les growled. "That's how you get shot."

"Les?" I put my hands against Les' chest and pushed. "Dude, you are heavy as fuck."

"Sorry, Gorgeous." Les rolled over and stretched his arms.

"You were supposed to meet me in the gym over an hour ago, Opie." Brown had an incorrigible smirk on his face. "Am I to assume that you don't need to work out this morning?"

Groaning, I pulled the pillow from where Les' had been laying and whipped it at Bobby, hitting him square in the face. Bobby laughed and shook his head.

"Rise and shine, Princess. We have a busy day today. Les you too. I have a shit ton of paperwork to fill out before tonight." Bobby strolled out of my bedroom. The moment I heard my apartment door shut I groaned.

"Fuck." I took the other pillow and covered my face. "Just smother me, Les."

He pulled the pillow off my face and smiled. I couldn't help but reciprocate. His hair was a perfect example of bed head; his thick blonde tipped hair curled softly and stuck out in various directions. His face and eyes were still soft from sleep.

"You look like you slept well." I said, poking him in the chest as I sat up and stretched. "My arm is asleep a little though."

"Sorry." He stood and pulled me to my feet. "I have never slept like that in my life. But….it was insanely comfortable. I slept like a rock."

"Me too." I blushed, remembering that I had my hands down the back of his pants. "I should probably get ready for work."

"Yeah." He ran his hand down his face and grabbed his phone. "I'll start the coffee and shower."

"That sounds good." He leaned down and kissed me on the cheek before leaving.

I was showered and dressed when I strode into our common space. Les was leaning against the counter with his phone in his hand. As I walked up, he handed me a cup of coffee already with sugar and cream. I smiled as I took a sip. It was perfect, as always.

"What do you have going on this morning?" He asked, putting his phone into his pocket and picking up another cup of coffee.

"Bobby, Junior and I are heading over to pick up some supplies and then I have to help Steph get her outfit for tonight." I took another sip of coffee and reached into the cabinet for something to eat. "What about you? You have paperwork to do?"

"Yeah." He groaned and took another sip of coffee. "Yesterday, Hector and I ran into an issue with Morelli. Shots were fired, yada yada yada."

"What?" I almost spit out my coffee. "You shot the cop?"

"No." He grinned. "I discharged my weapon, but it wasn't at anyone in particular."

"I'm sure that I will have to head down to TPD today, huh?"

"Nah…we got it covered. Morelli had the day off and started drinking early. I guess he learned about Steph and Ranger and tried to take it out on anyone wearing Rangeman black."

"Poor guy." I pulled open another cabinet, still not finding something that peaked my interest. "Why can I not find anything I want?"

"Maybe you aren't looking in the right spot." Les spoke under his breath as he took another drink. I glared at him. "Look over there." He motioned towards the cabinet above the fridge with his eyes.

Rolling my eyes, I pondered how I was to get up there. I sat on the counter and pulled myself up to a standing position. Les chuckled as I opened the cabinet and oogled the multitude of goodies. I grabbed a package of powered doughnuts and looked down at him. He set down his coffee and reached up around my waist and lifted me onto my feet.

"Thanks." I ripped opened the package and shoved a doughnut into my mouth. "Oh my God…that is what I needed."

"Opie?"

"Yeah?" I took a drink of coffee and wiped my face.

"You okay with last night?"

"Yeah. I am."

"Wanna do it again tonight?"

"I dunno. Steph was wanting to go out after the distraction. She seems to think that I don't get out enough." I laughed, stuffing another doughnut in my mouth.

"You don't get out enough." He laughed and took a doughnut from my hand. "Let's see how the night progresses. I don't know how well Steph is going to be after the distraction tonight. I have a bad feeling that shit isn't going to go right."

"You think the intel is off?"

"No. Just a gut feeling." He finished his coffee and rinsed his cup in the sink. "I could be totally off. It's just this feeling that I can't get rid of."

"Let me know if it gets worse. I trust your instincts." I looked at my watch, cursed and gulped down my coffee. "I'm late."

Without thinking, I leaned forward and kissed Les on the mouth. I was almost to the door when I realized what I had done and stopped dead in my tracks. I turned, terrified, to find Les grinning ear to ear. I could feel the blush rising up on my cheeks as he strode over to me.

He wrapped an arm around my waist pulling me against him, and fisted the other hand in my hair. His eyes flickered between my mouth and my eyes before he kissed me. I melted into his kiss, my arms wrapping around his neck and my fingers curling into his hair. The kiss deepened and I moaned as his tongue swirled around my own, sending a rush of heat straight to my center.

Lowering his hand under my ass he lifted me, twisted and set me onto the counter before taking my face between his hands. We were lost in the kiss. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him against me. This time, the moan came from him as I felt him hard against me. His phone beeped, breaking the kiss. We stood foreheads pressed together as we regained our breath.

He pulled out his phone and cursed, looking into my eyes. I was still breathing heavy and noticed that he was too. He wrapped a hand around the back of my head and kissed me again. This time not as intense.

"Later." He said, answering the questions that were swirling around in my head. "We'll figure it out later."

He kissed me again before setting me onto the floor and heading to the door.

"Holy fuck me." I whispered, touching my fingers to my swollen lips. "That man is sex on a stick."

My phone began ringing and I groaned as I saw the caller ID.

"What do you want Brown?" I ground out, pinching the bridge of my nose with my fingers.

"You coming? Or do I need to come pull you out of bed?"

"Shit..I'm coming." I dumped my coffee and headed out the door.

"We're in the garage….waiting." He chuckled and hung up.

"Fucker." I said under my breath as I ran, full tilt to the stairs taking them two at a time to the garage.

I scowled as Bobby and Junior sat in the SUV parked running in front of the door that I burst out of.

"About damn time!" Junior hollered though Bobby's open window.

"Hey! I called shot gun yesterday!" I ripped open the back driver's side door and crawled in. The moment the door shut, Bobby shot out of the garage, squealing the tires as he skid around the corner when he hit the street. "Damnit, Bobby!" I yelped as I slid across the seat and slammed into the door on the other side.

"Sorry." Bobby snickered as he took another sharp corner, causing me to tumble again. This time I caught myself by grabbing the back of his headrest.

"Do it again, Brown." I growled. "Do it again, I'll make you drive bitch while I drive your ass to kickassingtown." I smiled and slapped him, almost gently, on the cheek before setting back and buckling up.

"You have a good night there, Princess?" Brown waggled his eyebrows at me in the rear view mirror. I groaned.

"You jealous?" I stuck out my tongue and tampered the blush creeping up.

"Did I miss something?" Junior looked between me and Bobby. "I always miss the good shit."

"I just found Princess here snuggled in her bed….with Santos." Bobby winked at me. I punched his shoulder. "Ow!"

"Wow..you and Santos? I'm jealous." Junior looked back at me. "Are you off the market now, Opie?"

"Market?" I shook my head and face palmed. "I wasn't on the market…so I can't be off."

"Good to know." Junior turned in his seat. I growled in frustration. "Opie, just giving you shit. But…if you are on the market you should post it or something. I wanna make sure I get on the list of people asking."

"oh ha ha." I crossed my arms over my chest. "Did you bring the roster, Junior?"

"Yep." He pulled out a file folder from between the seat and console and handed it to me. I slipped a pen out of my side pocket and began flipping through the list. It was the full roster for all active Rangeman employees and all their equipment, along with sizes, and wear out dates. "Jesus, ya'll haven't kept on this shit at all."

"We've been busy." Bobby grinned. I flicked him off and continued down the list. I made notes in the margins on the paperwork as we drove to the "supply guy". I know that Tank has been very overwhelmed and hasn't been able to go through the guys' gear, so when I assigned team leaders my first week this was one of the first things that I tasked them with. The second was to assign each team leader with completing full employee evaluations.

They had the physical aspects down for the job. They had quarterly physical fitness testing as well as mandatory physicals. They maintained licenses and permits, contracts and vehicle maintenance. It was the personal training and higher education that they kind of set to the wayside.

When we pulled into the parking lot of the huge warehouse I was finishing up on the last page. I estimate that this little shopping trip is going to set Rangeman back about $20k. Good thing I can haggle, because it would have been close to $50K.

"What's on the list, Opie?" Junior looked at the papers he had given me. There was slash marks, sloppy notes and random shorthand.

"I hope y'all had your breakfast. It's gonna take a while." I pushed through the door and called out to the warehouse manager. I didn't enjoy shopping as much as some women did, but this…this was my kind of shopping.

We piled the last bit of gear into the SUV by 1:30 that afternoon. My stomach grumbled as Junior slammed the back of the SUV shut.

"Lunch?" He opened the front passenger door and swept his arm across his chest. "Your carriage, Princess."

"Hey…get your own nickname!" Bobby yelled as he slipped into the driver's seat. I kissed Junior on the cheek and thanked him as I slipped in and shut the door.

"Where we wanna eat?" I buckled in and then pulled out my cell phone to see if I had missed any emails. Junior got in and buckled up. "I'm in the mood for something big and greasy."

"Oh I got just the place." Bobby flipped a u-turn and sped off down the road.

"Why do we let you drive?" I had a death grip on the Oh-Shit bar.

"Because I got the keys first." Bobby smiled and gunned it through a yellow light.

"Jesus." Junior crossed himself and pulled out his cross kissing it. "I can't die today, Brown. Opie might be on the market and I am NOT missing out."

"Lord." I rolled my eyes. "Seriously, You guys need to get out more."

"We get out more than you do, Princess." Bobby poked me in my ribs.

"Your constant flirting proves that you obviously haven't gone anywhere that there are females." I text Steph asking her what she was planning on wearing tonight. "Have you ever heard of a reacher and a settler? You guys need to stop settling, cause girls like me are tired of reaching."

"That's the biggest pile of bullshit I have ever heard." Junior was mad. "You think that we would be settling if we dated a girl like you? That's bullshit."

"I'm just a normal girl. I'm not some supermodel, or goddess. You guys are physically perfect. Have you seen yourselves? It's like GQ went out of business and the models decided to all come work for Ranger."

"Trust me…we are not settling and you are definitely not reaching." Bobby tightened his grip on the steering wheel, looking for a parking spot in front of Pinos. "Trust us. We aren't bullshitting you. We're not just blowing smoke up your ass."

"Alright." I shrunk down in my seat and waited for him to put it in park so that I could jump out of the awkward position I put myself in.

"I'm serious." Bobby stared at me.

"Okay, Okay." I sighed. "I get it. I'm sorry. It's just frustrating."

"Let's get some food." Junior jumped out of the SUV, slamming the door.

"Shit." I thumped my head against the dash. "I need to just stop talking all together."

"No." Bobby put the SUV in park and turned to look at me. "You just need to stop thinking that if a man likes you that they must be after something sinister."

"I don't think.."

"What else would you think a man who flirts constantly with a woman who is 'beneath' them?"

"I never meant it like that."

"I know you didn't, but that is what it sounds like." He took my hand. "Listen, you know the bullshit answer of how we have darkness in our lives. What you don't know is that we know that sometimes we can look scary as fuck. Women don't treat us like you treat us. You talk to us like we are on the same level. You trust us, and we trust you. We make each other laugh and understand our weird sense of humor. That's a big thing."

"I'm a schmuck." I nodded my head. "Let's go inside. I need to talk to Junior."

I slid out of the SUV, and trudged my way into Pino's; Bobby a dozen or so feet behind me. The daily lunch rush had already come and gone so there were very few people inside. Scanning the room, I found Junior sitting in the back corner booth with a menu up against the wall. I made eye contact and smiled. He smiled back and set the menu down in front of him.

Bobby was at the counter ordering drinks and talking to Pino as I plopped down next to Junior and tapped the menu. He lay it flat and folded his hands on top of it.

"Rupert…" I put my hand on his. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"Opie, I know that you didn't mean to." He curled my hand into his entwining our fingers. "You are just so hard on yourself. You are amazing and beautiful and smart and sexy as hell. There is no settling when it comes to you."

"I need to work on not being so critical of myself." I sighed, tracing his knuckles with my other hand. "You, and the guys, are the best men…shit..the best people I have ever met. I just seem to notice my personal inadequacies. "

"Just promise me that when I, or any of the guys, tell you that they love spending time with you…that they want to spend more…not to question yourself." He smiled and placed his other hand on my cheek, rubbing his thumb gently against my skin. "I know that the moment you decide to open that dance card of yours, there's gonna be a rush to get an opportunity."

I could feel myself blushing. "Rupie..I will save a dance for you." He pulled me into a quick hug and kissed my cheek.

"As long as I get to take you out once…and it's before this knuckle head. I'll be happy." He pointed at Bobby who was carrying a pitcher of beer and three glasses.

"What?" Bobby asked, looking between the two of us as I giggled.


	7. Chapter 7

Stephanie and I were standing in my bedroom, hands on hips, staring at the mass of dresses on my bed.

"This looks….promising." I picked up a tiny plastic looking hoochie dress off my bed between two fingers. I looked closer. "Is that even fabric? It feels like a ziplock bag."

"That is not going on my body." Steph yanked it out of my hands and tossed it out of my bedroom door and somewhere in the living room. "This is ridiculous. No one would wear this just to hang out at a strip club."

"So…what's the angle for this one?" I pulled up another ridiculously skanky dress and tossed it out the door. "I mean, you're not supposed to actually BE a stripper so why all the stripper gear?"

"I'm guessing that I am just supposed to be some desperate female going to strip club ALONE for kicks?" She shook her head. "This is SO not going to work."

"Shit.." I pulled out my phone and called Tank.

"Sup." Tank answered.

"Change of plans." I shot a look to Steph. "She's not going in alone. I'm suiting up and joining. I'll need a secondary wire and ear piece."

"Opie, you can't just change.."

"No. It makes no sense. I'm going in." I interrupted him and disconnected.

"Alright, now it will make it so much easier." I clapped my hands together. "You and I are girlfriends out about after our dick wad boyfriends dumped us. We might even question our sexuality by the end of the night."

"So….total over the top skanky with a side of too much booze?" She laughed, picking up a bright blue dress that was barely big enough to cover anything. I nodded and pulled out a sparkly red number. "Well, let's get this show on the road."

We spent the last hour and a half dressing, and primping. We looked like high end hookers, or totally jilted females out on the prowl. Oddly, they looked identical. I was slipping on my heels when Ranger walked in.

"Babe." He purred, striding to Steph and wrapping her in his arms. She laughed and kissed him. Of course, being the sex crazed newly discovered lovers they were, it went from a nice soft kiss to a full-fledged make out session.

"Get a room." I shook my head and stood hands on hips. "We're supposed to be jaded women, not fully satisfied and flushed."

They broke apart and smoothed out their clothes. I put out my hand to Ranger and curled my fingers at him to hurry. He shook his head and set an earpiece and wire into them. I turned and walked out of my bedroom.

"Don't even think about fucking on my bed!" I hollered behind me.

"Opie, do you need help with that?" Bobby was standing in the door way of my apartment.

"Yeah." I walked over to him and handed him the wire, placing the bud in my ear.

"You look good." Bobby whispered. I pulled back the top of my dress to give him access. He looked down my dress and whistled.

"Just get it done." I laughed, smacking his shoulder. His hand slid down, taping the wire under my breast and securing it under the strap of my dress. "Who's taking my place?"

"Binkie." Bobby removed his hand and double checked to see if it was visible. "Shit..there's not a lot of fabric to work with." His hand went back into my dress and continued to fidigit with the wires.

"You're enjoying this way too much." I laughed and looked down my dress at what his hand was trying to do. "Bobby, the wire is too long. I can't believe I'm going to say this…tape the lead right under the band of my panties and then wind up between my breasts."

"Jesus." Bobby broke out in a sweat as his hand slipped underneath the hem of my dress to place the receiver. His hands were shaking as he found the top hem of my panties. "Lace? Nice."

"Shut up, Bobby." I shook my head. He laughed, snapping the band against my skin when he was done. "Hey!"

"I need hazard pay for this shit." Bobby chuckled as he stood, before reaching back down my dress and winding the wire up before placing it completely hidden. He stepped back and nodded. "Perfect."

"Let's head out." Ranger called as he strode out of the bedroom with a flustered Steph. He smiled as I shook my head at her state.

It only took us about 30 minutes to get to the stripclub. The vehicles were parked in the back of the lot. The guys were double checking gear and Les, Ram and Hal were wired as inside men and were making their way inside. Steph was sitting in Ranger's Turbo with him. I walked over and knocked on the window. They were fully tinted, so I have no clue what was going on in there, but after a minute the engine shut off and Ranger slid out of car with a smirk on his face.

"What did I tell you about getting her all flustered?" I shook my head. "We are supposed to be SINGLE..ugh…glad I'm in on this." Ranger opened the passenger door and helped Steph out, who was rosy cheeked with freshly kissed lips. "Jesus Fuck! Ranger…come on."

"Sorry Opie." Ranger chuckled and kissed Steph on the top of the head. "She'll be fine."

"I'll think of something." I grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards the club. "You ready?"

"Let's do this." She smiled. I looked over and she was still pretty flushed, her lips were definitely puffy.

"Shit…I hate to do this…Just play along okay?" I whispered and curled her hand into mine. We strolled into the club, and up to the bar.

"Two martinis." I said, holding up two fingers. I scanned the room and quickly saw the guys. Lester was sitting up against one of the stages watching the stripper with a pile of ones in front of him. Ram was leaning against the bar near the bathroom sign. Hal was sprawled out, looking wasted, at one of the round tables between the stages.

"Everyone is in place. Your mark is near the stage in the far west corner." Ranger's voice rang softly in my ear bud. I looked at Steph and she nodded. "He's pretty loaded. So be careful."

"Steph…You're pink." I whispered in her ear as the bartender set down our drinks.

"Shit… I'm sorry." Steph pulled out a mirror from her handbag and checked her face. "Is it that obvious?"

"Yeah, kinda." I looked around, and saw that there were quite a few men looking in our direction. Typical for a stip club…it was like a comic book store..a woman walks in and the room goes silent. "Alright…shit. Just…go with it."

"Go with.." Steph began looking at me with her eyebrows raised.

I didn't let her finish. I pressed my mouth to hers and curled my hand in her hair. I felt her stiffen. "Relax I whispered against her mouth. She did and closed her eyes. I nipped her lip and she let me deepen it, wrapping her arms around me.

"Holy fuck." Came four voices in our ear buds.

I heard Steph moan a little as I ran my tongue over the roof of her mouth. Smiling I pulled back and gently ran my thumb over the bottom of lips. Thank God for super stay lipstick.

"I think I just came a little." Tank's voice rumbled through the ear bud and Steph and I laughed.

"There, now you have reason to be flushed." I winked and turned back to my drink. I could feel the eyes on us. The bartender was frozen, rag in a glass, staring at us. I winked at him and he nearly dropped the glass.

"Let's find someplace to sit." I hooked an arm through Steph's and we strutted past the tables to the stage that the Galliger was sidled up to. He didn't even give us a sideways glance as we sat down. He was transfixed by the dancer on the stage. "What are you thinking?" I whispered to Steph.

"I dunno." She bit her lip and crossed her legs. "He's not even looking in our direction."

We watched and waited through a few songs. He still stared up at the woman, placing a bill in front of him one after the other. Steph had tried bumping into him, but it hadn't done a thing. He just grunted and shifted his chair over.

"You ladies need anything?" A waitress leaned down towards me, shoving her cleavage inches from my face.

"Actually.." I crooked my finger and she leaned in closer. "That guy over there…we've been trying to get his attention for a while now." She looked over and shook her head. "We just broke up with our boyfriends…and well, you know."

"Honey, unless your ass is up there on the stage, he won't take any notice." She chuckled and stood. "Every time a dancer ends her routine on this stage, he gets a private lap dance and then comes back and waits for the next one."

"Where do they do their private dances?" I asked, tapping my finger nail against my glass. She pointed to a door near the back. I knew that there was an emergency exit just a few feet from it.

"Tanya up there is about to get off the stage. See for yourself." She tipped her head and we watched. The song ended, and Galliger stood and walked to the edge of the stage holding a nice wad of cash. Tayna took his arm and lead him back to the end of the hallway. "He's a great tipper, and as long as he isn't drinking too much he's nice to the girls."

"Thanks." I smiled. "Uhh..can we get two more martinis, and send a drink to our friend when he gets back on us."

"Alrighty." She smiled and walked away.

"Shit." Steph slumped in her seat. "Now what?"

"Change of plans. Stay here. I"ll be right back." I tapped my ear piece and walked past Lester. He stood and followed me towards the bar.

"What's up?" He asked, ordering a beer and leaning against the bar.

"Galliger isn't gonna come out for a normal distraction." I said, straightening my dress. "I wanna see if I can deviate from the original plan."

"What are you thinking?" His eyebrow raised.

"Have Ranger call the owner. I'm getting on the stage." I smiled at the bartender as he set down Les' drink.

"You're what?" Lester's voice echoed with a gaggle of voices in my earpiece.

"Trust me."

"Shit." Les ran his hand through his hair and pulled out his cell phone.

"I'm heading to the ladies' room. I need to get this wire off."

I pushed open the bathroom door and leaned against the sinks. Taking a few deep breaths, I slipped the tape off my skin and slid the wire back out and into a ball. Looking in the mirror I laughed. I wanted excitement. Plus, all those years of dance as a kid should be put to use sometime. I looked down at the lacy bra and panty set, thankful that Steph had convinced me that it was necessary to match during a distraction.

"Are you serious?" A voice came in through my earpiece making me jump. Knowing that he could hear me I sighed and replied back

"Tank, Yes I am serious. It's not hard." I fluffed my hair and checked my make-up. "He will want to have a lap dance after I dance. The emergency exit is a foot away. If we can disable the alarm I can get him to bring me out back. Or if anything I can bring him out the back."

"This is risky." I could imagine Tank rubbing his bald head furiously. "Shit, Opie. The owner probably wouldn't care, he wants this guy out of his club. Are you sure you wanna do this? We can find another way."

"Tank, I'll be fine." I tried to make my voice sound as calm and firm as I could. "Do I have permission?"

"Fuck." He growled. "Yes. Permission is given. Owner is aware and approved. Just be careful."

"Thanks, Big Guy. I am dropping my wire with Les, but I will keep the ear bud in. So I can hear you, but you won't hear me." I walked out of the bathroom and over to Les, who was shaking his head.

"This is insane." He whispered. I reached around him, and slipped the wire into his pocket. "I'm positioning myself at the table next to the hall to the lap dance room. So, if you need help I will be right there. Hal is going to be at your stage."

"Send Steph out." I whispered. "She doesn't need to sit here alone."

"You Opie?" A woman walked up to me. I nodded. "I'm Donna. Come with me, hon. We got to get you ready. The DJ is giving us a 10 minute break. I followed her without saying another word to Les. "Is this your first time?"

"I did a couple of amateur nights in college. But nothing professional." I followed her past a glittery curtain that separated the club from the changing area. Women were lounging; redoing makeup and hair, chatting and eating.

"What are you wanting to go for?" She asked, shuffling through a rack filled with costumes. She pulled out a school girl outfit and I shook my head. Something had caught my eye. I pulled it out and she smiled. "That would be hot! Let me go and get your accessories."

I stood behind the curtain, waiting for the DJ to give me my que. Donna was standing next to me, grinning from ear to ear, double checking my outfit. I had picked the song "Crazy Bitch" by Buckcherry. I heard the beginning start and I took a deep breath and stepped on the stage.

LES POV

This was so fucked up. I was actually biting my nails, a habit I stopped when I was 7. She was just behind the curtain, and I couldn't stop the panic that was rising within me. When the lights lowered, and she was announced as "Pvt Bitch" I chuckled. The song began and I swear my heart stopped.

Opie walked out, whipping the curtain off to one side as she high stepped, super model style to the front of the stage. She was wearing a super short camouflaged skirt, thigh high boots, a skin tight button up camo top with fake rank sewn on and a cover on her head. Her hair was tucked up into the hat. She stopped, stepping wide when she hit the end of the stage and whipped the hat off tossing it into the crowd.

Flipping her hair she twisted her hips slowly in time with the music sliding her hand down her front. I watched, completely entranced as she flipped back and landed in splits before scissoring her legs in the air exposing her perfect ass. I sucked in a breath as she raised herself and twisted around the pole. She pushed away, reaching down and sliding the skirt off and kicking it off to the side. She stood in a pair of lacy cheekys that left nothing to the imagination. She danced, slowing unbuttoning the shirt and sliding it down her shoulders to the floor. With another swirl of her hips she grabbed the pole and spun, tipping herself upside down.

"Holy shit." Hal's voice came through my ear piece. "I'm gonna marry that girl."

"Fuck you are." Ram's voice shot through. "That girl…is gonna be a Rameriz."

I chuckled, but a pang of jealousy still shot through me. She was gorgeous. Watching her on that stage was like magic. She moved smoothly without any hesitation. There was a sudden gasp as she unclasped the lace bra and sent it towards Hal.

"Holy fuck." This time it was Tank.

She finished her dance, taking turns going from dollar to dollar on the stage. The song seemed to never end, but she kept on. When it did, she swooped down and stuffed the bills into her boots and slipped the top over her, not bothering to button. As she took the side stairs to leave the stage, Galliger jumped up and eagerly held out cash.

OPIE POV

As I walked off the stage, sliding the top on to try to cover my bare breasts a little, Galliger rushed and held out a wad of cash.

"That was beautiful." He spoke, his voice thick and timid. He looked down at the cash and I smiled, taking it from him and grabbing his hand.

"Come with me, Sugar." Making my voice ooze with sweetness. "Let me come show you some of my special moves."

"I haven't seen you here before." He said as we walked towards the back. "I would have remembered you."

"I'm just here for tonight. Filling in. I work at the Busty Beaver usually." We had stopped waiting for a server to set drinks down. "What song would you like, Handsome?" I ran my finger down his chest. "You are incredibly good looking…did anyone ever tell you that?"

"No." He blushed and I bit my lip. He was easy, poor thing.

"You are." I leaned in close. "Hey, I'm not supposed to do this, but I would love to see you in a more private setting." I winked and he blanched. "I have a break…I mean…If you want. I can give you your cash back and you can come out with me….to talk." I bit my lip and pressed an open palm to his chest. I could feel his heart hammering beneath it.

"Serious?" He whispered, the server finally leaving and opening up our path. I nodded, and gave Les a wink as we walked past his table.

"Dead serious." I walked him down the hallway towards the private rooms and stopped outside the curtain. "I know that the alarm on this door is off…we can just slip out back. My car is parked there."

"Well." He looked me up and down and then around. No one was looking, thankfully, and it seemed to relax him a little bit more. "Sure."

"Here." I handed back his cash and grabbed his hand. He took it and we headed towards the door.

"We're in position." I heard in my ear bud.

I pushed through, looking back and smiling at Galliger. The night air was chilly but not as cold as I had thought it was going to be. The minute the door closed behind me, Galliger pushed me up against the brick wall and shoved his tongue down my throat. Within seconds his hands were all over me.

"Galliger!" Tank's voice boomed out, just before he lifted him by the neck away from me and slammed him onto the floor.

I stood there, my arms splayed against the brick for a moment with my eyes closed. Taking deep breaths I calmed myself. I felt warm hands tuck the shirt around my breasts, causing me to gasp and quickly open my eyes.

"You okay?" Les' green eyes were dark and crinkled in concern. I nodded and tried to cover myself. "Here." He slipped off the gray button up shirt he was wearing and wrapped it around me. I slipped my arms in and tucked the sides around me. It was pretty big on me, but still only managed to barely cover my ass.

"Hal has my bra." I chuckled, tucking my hair back. "And my dress and shoes are in a bag. Donna said she would bring them out someone."

"Tank has them." Les said, reaching down and picking up his phone. "Bring it here, Hal."

"I am not sure if I am embarrassed or not yet." I confessed, biting my lip.

"There was nothing to be embarrassed about, Gorgeous." Les smiled and curled me up against him with an arm around my shoulders. "That was amazing. Vegas good."

"Thanks, I guess." I laughed again as we walked towards the back of the parking lot where the vehicles were parked.

"Opie." Tank said as we walked up. "You did good." He smiled and handed Les a plastic bag with my clothes in it. Hal sidled up to us holding my bra in front of him.

"Look what I found." Hal winked and positioned it against his chest. "I don't think it's my size though."

"Gimme that." I snatched it out of his hands. "Cover me, Les."

Les grabbed the top edges of his shirt and held it up with me next to him. Tank and Hal both turned as I slipped on my bra and clasped it. I looked up and saw Les looking at me. He winked and I smacked his chest before slipping my arms back into his shirt. Tank and Hal turned around. Ram, Cal and Bobby walked over.

"Galliger is on his way back with Binkie." Bobby said. "Good job, Opie. I never knew you could dance."

"Steph was wondering if you wanted to get something to eat, and maybe some drinks?" Ram handed me my purse.

"I need to get dressed. But sure." I reached down and slipped the thigh high boots off, stuffing the cash back into it. "Where are we heading?"

"Shorty's." Ram smiled and watched as I took the dress out of the bag and held it out to Les. "You gonna change right here?"

"Uhh..why not?" I looked at them. "Y'all just saw me pretty naked like five minutes ago."

I slipped off Les' shirt and slipped the dress on before Ram could say anything. I turned slightly and pushed my hair away so that I could be zipped. Hal, who was closest to my back, reached out with shakey hands and zipped it.

"Y'all act like you have never seen a pair of tits before."I laughed and shook my head. "Seriously….you aren't virgins are you?"

"Let's get going, before the redirection of blood flow gets so severe that someone passes out." Bobby took my hand and led me towards one of the SUVs. The rest followed, filling into the appropriate vehicles. I was sandwiched between Hal and Cal in the backseat, while Bobby and Lester sat in the front. "Ranger and Bomber are already there and ordered food."

"Good. I'm actually starving." I wiggled a little, trying to make a little bit of room between the massive men next to me. "I love standing next to y'all. It makes me feel tiny."

"You are tiny." Hal laughed and picked up my hand. He held it against his, and laughed at the almost 2 inches of finger length difference. "It's crazy. I can only imagine how small your feet are compared my mine."

"Holy shit." I picked up Cal's hand and measured mine against his. "Around normal people I'm actually bigger than normal. I mean…I'm far from petite." I looked them both up and down. "My girlfriend back home would faint. She has this thing about guys with big hands..believes some cockamamie theory that means they have big…." I cut myself off.

"Normal people, huh?" Cal chuckled and leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Trust me… it's an accurate theory."

"Cal!" I shrieked and smacked him playfully. "You guys are horrible."

"Hey…I didn't say it." Hal raised his hands. "I'm innocent in all this." He winked. "But it's true."

"Jesus." I smacked my fore head with the palm of my hand. Les and Bobby just laughed.

Shorty's wasn't as empty as it usually was. In fact, it was pretty full. The guys and I walked in and headed straight towards the back table, where numerous Rangeman were already enjoying pizza and beer. Applause exploded out of them when I walked up to the table. I just shook my head and pulled up into the booth next to Tank and grabbed a slice of pizza.

"I heard you did awesome!" Steph was a little pink in the cheeks. I don't know if it was from the beer in front of her, or the man next to her. Either way, she looked happy.

"It wasn't anything special." I waved it away. Seeing the waitress passing I raised my voice. "Hey..can we get some shots over here?"

"That was pretty fucking special." Cal snickered. "I am thinking of starting a fund to get a pole put in the gym."

"You would look amazing wrapping around that pole." I winked at Cal. "It's not going to be a repeat performance. That only happens on special occasions for a special person."

"Oh shit!" Ram stood up; a huge grin on my face. "My birthday is next week! It's me isn't it!?"

Les threw a pizza crust at him, hitting him in the chest. "She said special, brother. You ain't special."

"Well…fuck you too." He fake pouted and sat arms crossed.

"Here you go." The waitress plopped down a tray covered with two dozen shots. "Anything else I can get you?"

"Bring me the bottle of Jose." I said, handing her a $100. "And a bowl of limes and salt."

"Sure thing." She turned and headed back to the bar. I picked up a shot and raised it up. The guys followed, including Ranger. Steph just shook her head.

"To a successful night, good booze, great friends and a firm ass!"

"To a firm ass!" The guys chorused. We slammed our shots.

A bottle of tequila later and we were all drunk as skunks. Steph had driven back with a tipsy Ranger, promising to send some DDs. Tank was sitting with a grin on his face, wavering back and forth. Hal and Ram were arm wrestling barely able to stand on their own. Cal was hitting on the waitress, who was a good thirty years older than he was. Bobby and Les were discussing my dancing and I was nibbling on the limes I had discarded on the table.

"The bes part." Les slurred. " Waz when she flipped upsidown on that pole. Fuck man..I wanna be that pole."

"You were that pole fucker." Bobby smacked him. "I wanna be that pole."

"You both are poles." I snickered, laughing too hard at my lame joke.

"I wanna be a pole." Came Tank's deep voice. "I'd be a great pole."

"Wait..I never had anyone's pole." I shook my head thinking about what Bobby said. "I am pole free."

"Who's pole are you taking?" Cal staggered over and slumped down into the chair across from me.

"You know what wuz really hot." Les wasn't even paying attention. "When she grabbed Beautiful." His hands went out in front of him mimicking what he was saying. "And jus snogged the shit out of her. That was the hottes ting I've seen…I mean.." His eyes glassed over a minute. I looked at Bobby and Cal who had the same look on their faces. Hal and Ram made their way back and took up their seats around the table.

"Y'all need to get out more." I hiccupped, tossing my lime peel at Cal. He shook his head and laughed tossing it back. "When's the las time you guys got any."

They all looked at me, then out into space for a moment.

"Eight fucking months." Bobby spat out, holding up eight fingers.

"Six months." Cal hung his head.

"Tuesday." Tank smirked. "Lula is the shit."

"Wait…what day is it?" Ram shook his head.

"Friday." I hiccupped, chewing on another lime peel.

"Oh…then.." He counted on his fingers. "I dunno four months?"

"6 months, 2 weeks, four days and …"Ram looked at his watch. "18 minutes…19 minutes…"

"You guys are lying." I interrupted Ram by tossing my chewed up lime peel at him. "Les? How long for you?"

"Couple months I guess." He shrugged and motioned the waitress for more beer.

"Hal?"I watched as his face burst into a dark blush. "Come on, Hal…it can't be as long as me?" Las chuckled.

"You first?" He chuckled, tipping back the last bit of a beer he was nursing.

"Uhhh….Three years? Give or take a couple months." Everyone's jaw dropped, except Bobby's who just smiled.

"Shit…you're gonna make me feel bad." Hal rubbed the back of his neck.

"Don't bitch out on me, Hal!" I pulled myself up onto the table and sat in front of him. "Tell Auntie Opie how long it's been since you got your dick wet." I giggled my voice impersonating my Great Aunt Zelda.

"Shit." Hall shook his head. "I…uh…got some right before the distraction."

"Sommabitch." I shouted. Smacking his shoulders.

"Damn." Cal looked at Hal, his eyes huge. "Wait…wait…I was with you. When the fuck did you get laid?"

"Met a girl at the diner we stopped at." Hal blushed harder and picked at the label of is beer.

"We got it to go, you fucker!" Cal rubbed his hand over his head. "You ran to get something at the convenient store next door! You were only gone for like 30 minutes …Shit…serious?"

"Don't hate the player." Hal grinned and winked at me.

"I'm…jealous." I burst out laughing, the guys joining in. Who would have known that shy Hal was a lady killer. "I'm curious…how did you…you know…seal the deal?"

"Opie come on." His cheeks burned scarlet. The guys started in on him and he finally conceded. "Fine..I'll show you."

Hal stood up and held out his hand. I took it and I wobbled off the table to stand in front of him.

"You sure?" Hal's eyes twinkled and a huge smile plastered over his face. I shrugged and nodded, putting my hands on my hips. "Okay…but don't get any ideas."

"Jesus Hal…you act like…" I cut off the moment Hal pulled me into him. He wrapped his arm around my waist, his hand open and covering my entire back. He leaned down, tucking his face into the crook of my neck. I shivered as his tongue ran up my neck and he nipped my ear lobe. I knew my eyes were wide when he finally spoke, quietly into my ear.

"Teach me to sin.." He whispered; his voice husky and raw. It sent a bolt of heat through me. "You can make all passion pure; the magic lure of your sweet eyes." He kissed my neck and continued. "Enslave me to your wanton charms and make me, make me love you. Make me fire in your blood with new desire." Holy shit. He's reciting poetry. "Make me fire your blood with new desire and make me kiss you…..lip and lim. Till sense rell and pulses swim." Another hot open mouth kiss to my neck. "Even if you hate me…teach me to sin."

"Holy shit." I whispered. The sound of his voice; low and husky sent waves of heat through me. The words were deep and sensual and caused my brain to fill with sexy images. His body, pressed against me felt hotter than before. He chuckled as I shuddered.

"You feel that?" He whispered his breath hot against my ear. Oh yea…I felt it. In fact, it would have been hard to miss. He was hard and huge against me. I nodded, and he nipped the sensitive spot behind my ear. I sucked in a quick breath. "Intrigued?" His hand slipped up my body, starting at my hip and stopping at my neck. I bit my lip and I heard him chuckle deep in this throat. "Let me make you cum, Opie. I wanna see your face when you scream out in pleasure. I want you wrapped tightly around me as you cum."He growled, sending an equally thrilling wave through me. "Just think.." His breath was hot against my neck again. "how amazing it will feel as I thrust into you…over and over. I can make you forget your own name."

"Hal.." I stuttered. My breath coming out jagged, my face flushed beyond just a normal blush.

"Shhh…" He ran a thumb over my lip. "I can make you forget..and then you'll beg for more."

"Holy Shit, Hal!" Bobby shouted out astounded. "Look at her face! What did you say?"

He pulled away and I took a deep breath, grabbing the table to steady myself. My face felt hot, and I fanned myself as I tried to gather my thoughts.

"Jesus…." Cal scooted over to me and pulled me into his lap. "What did he say?"

"Hal…." I whispered out. I looked up at him and he just smiled and winked. "You are an evil evil man."

"It's always the quiet ones!" Ram grumbled. "How the fuck did you do that?"

"I need to go outside." I said, pushing off the table and walking towards the door. The floor seemed to be waving beneath me and soon I found myself falling. Thick warm arms wrapped around me and pulled me against an equally warm body.

"Opie..wait.I'm comin' with you." Les smiled and tucked me under his arm. I could hear the guys ribbing Hal and I chuckled. I took a deep breath, enjoying the cool air. My skin was hot from the alcohol and the recent experience with Hal. "So, what DID he say?"

"It was…It was poetry." I laughed, thinking back. "But he could have been saying anything, honestly, his voice..the way he touched…holy shit. "

"Hal's a slut." Les laughed, pulling me into his arms. "But he got you all hot and bothered." I tipped my head back and looked at Les. He was an amazingly good looking man. His eyes were such a unreal shade of green that it was hard to believe they were real.

"Les." I asked, reaching up and taking his face in both my hands. "Do you wear contacts?"

"No." He chuckled, his eyes sparkling even brighter. "Why?"

"I love your eyes." I felt my face pull into a goofy smile. "They are like…magical. Like they belong to some fictional character or superhero." I giggled at that and slapped a hand to his chest playfully. "That's funny….fictional character." Full blown laughter now.

"You are SO wasted." Les slipped his hand behind my neck and pulled me into him, stopping my laughter with a bone melting kiss. I moaned, wrapping my arms around him and pulling me tighter to him as I deepened the kiss.

"Les?" I pressed my hands against his chest, my head spinning from more than just booze.

"Yea, Gorgeous?" Les nipped my bottom lip and curled his fingers in my hair.

"I'm drunk and tired." I closed my eyes and leaned into him, putting my head on his chest. I felt my body get heavy and then I slipped into darkness.

***Okay, so after many hours of discussion between me and my cohorts, aka my very own nest of Merry Men, we couldn't come up with a very good "thing" for Hal to say. The poem is sexy as hell, especially if a sexy man recites it with a sexy ass voice. *sigh* I digress….the poem is entitled: ENTHRALLED by ALFRED BRYAN. Here it is in its entirety.

TEACH me to sin-

In love's forbidden ways,

For you can make all passion pure;

The magic lure of your sweet eyes

Each shape of sin makes virtue praise.

Teach me to sin-

Enslave me to your wanton charms,

Crush me in your velvet arms

And make me, make me love you.

Make me fire your blood with new desire,

And make me kiss you-lip and limb,

Till sense reel and pulses swim.

Aye! even if you hate me,

Teach me to sin.


	8. Chapter 8

AUTHOR's NOTE: Sorry for the delay. Enjoy this chapter and please remember to review. If there are any inconsistencies or questions or even WTF moments…let me know. I appreciate all your views, reviews and criticism *positive or negative*.

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"Grulrph." I moaned, rubbing my hand over my face. I peeked an eye open to see that I wasn't alone in my bed or in my bedroom. In fact, from the sounds coming from my open bedroom door my apartment was far from empty. "What...who?"

I sat up and rubbed my eyes again and shook my head trying to focus on the body lying next to me in my bed.

"Les?" I poked his bare shoulder. He grumbled and shifted slightly, pulling me tightly in his arms. "Lester!"

"Wha?" He poked his head up and I pointed to the body lying on the floor near my side of the bed. Les chuckled and pushed his head back down into the pillow. "Cal."

"Why is Cal on my floor?" I groaned. "And why is he half naked?"

"You passed out. We all came back here, and no one wanted to leave you alone thinking that someone else was gonna curl up in bed with you." He smiled.

"But…you're in bed with me." I laughed, looking past him. "Oh my God." I burst out laughing to the point that I snorted. Cal slowly raised his head.

"Wha?"

"Why is Hector in my bed?" I got up on my knees, and saw that Hector was in fact curled up behind Les. "You two were spooning last night weren't you?"

"Mmmrph." Hector's grunted out and wrapped an arm around Les' waist, pulling him closer. "Too early."

Les' face was frozen in a look of terror as Hector snuggled into him. After a few seconds, I assume that was how long it took for Les to realize his predicament; he shot out of bed, knocking me onto the floor and on top of Cal.

"Well, Good morning." Cal said, wrapping me into his arms as I lay sprawled onto his chest.

"Jesus, Hector!" Les yelped as he had jumped to his feet on my bed and ran to the door. The commotion must have woken some of the others because I saw Bobby's head poke up from Hector's side of the bed and people moving about.

Hector just turned onto his back and stretched, the low riding basketball shorts not hiding the thing that caused Les' freak-out. "Santos, you really need to loosen up. It's just a hard on. It's not like I didn't have you poking me in the ass with yours last night."

"OH MY GOD!" Les screeched, his hands whipping through his hair. "I feel so…so…violated." His face twisted into a look of semiserious disgust.

"Come on Les." I giggled, trying to unwind myself from Cal's grip.

"Not a chance, sweetness." Cal kissed my cheek and hauled himself to his feet with me still tucked around him. He climbed onto my bed, placing me between himself and Hector and curled his arms around me. "Go back to sleep. It's early."

"I need a shower. I need a drink." Les was pacing back and forth in my bedroom. He stopped noting Cal's position in my bed and frowned. "Hey...jackass, that's my spot."

"There's plenty of room here." Hector winked. Les groaned and took Cal's place on the floor. We all laughed and assumed our sleeping positions. Cal was lying on his back, one arm behind his head and the other under my head. I had my head on Cal's arm near his shoulder, my arm draped over his waist and my leg over his thigh. Hector curled up behind me, his arm wrapping around my waist and his leg over my extended leg.

"This is heaven." I giggled, feeling Cal and Hector's chests rumble in laughter. "This is how girls become sluts. I might have to look into it."

"This sucks." Les pouted. I could hear him roughly adjusting the pillows and blanket that Cal had been using.

"Go back to sleep, Les." I purred, as sleep started to overcome me. "I'll buy you breakfast."

A few hours later, I peeked an eye out. I was still the cream filling in a Rangeman cookie. I groaned as my bladder reminded me why I had woken up. Cal stirred and raised his head.

"Gotta pee." I explained. He nodded and tapped Hector who rolled over the other direction, releasing me from my hot guy sandwich. "Thanks." I whispered, pulling myself out of bed and into the bathroom. I did my business and started the shower. I needed to get last night's funk off of me. As I was scrubbing, I heard a knock.

"Bella?" Hector's voice echoed through the bathroom.

"Come on in, Hector." I pulled back the glass shower door and smiled at him. "How'd you sleep, Love Muffin?"

I had come to call him that after a night of surveillance. He was a great guy, very secretive, but none the less great.

"Great." He yawned, turning on the faucet and splashing cold water on his face. I watched as droplets ran down his chest. "Les has always been a bed hog though."

"Yeah he is." I laughed, pulling the door shut. "Go ahead, Hector. You don't have to be shy."

He laughed and used the restroom as I washed my hair. I heard a flush and then the faucet as I tipped my head back rinsing the shampoo out of my hair.

"YIPES!" I yelped when I turned to see Hector's face plastered up against the glass, his hands cupped around to see in. "Hector…what the crap?" I laughed and opened the door a bit to look at him.

"Three years, Bella?" He smiled, tapping me on the nose. "You don't get that sorted out and I might have to fix it myself."

"Perv." I chuckled and closed the glass door.

"Las cosas que pueden hacer para que la mujer. Quizás Santos se uniría en, él tiene un buen culo y por lo que sentí anoche ... " {The things I could do to that woman. Maybe Santos would join in, he has a nice ass and from what I felt last night..."} Hector mumbled as he retreated back into the bedroom.

"I HEARD THAT!" I shouted, chuckling to myself. "Pervs…they are all a bunch of pervs."

I finished my shower, wrapped myself in a towel and returned to the bedroom. Cal was still lying on my bed, but Hector and Bobby were both gone. I could hear Les and Junior in the living room.

"Afternoon." Cal stretched. "Sleep well?"

"I did thank you." I smiled and walked into my closet. "You guys have any plans tonight?"

"Nothing concrete."

"I need to get out." I pulled some jeans and a tank top into my arms and headed to my dresser to find underthings.

"What kind of out?" Cal was sitting up, watching me intently.

"I wanna have some fun." I smiled, picking out a soft comfortable pair of cotton panties with tiny rainbows on them and a matching bra. "Turn around."

"Fine." He did and I began to get dressed. "We could go to the movies? Or paintball? Or go carting?"

"Those sound perfect." I had slipped on my bra and panties, tossing the towel onto the bed. Cal turned and smiled.

"Nice panties." He winked and I shook my head.

"You should go and get dressed." I said, pointing at him. He was lounging in just a pair of Blue boxers. "I mean…You look great and all, but I am starving and I remember telling Les I would buy breakfast."

"I do look fabulous." He winked again and stood, walking up to me as I slipped on my jeans. "But not as good as you, Hot stuff." He pulled me into a bear hug and kissed the top of my head.

"You guys are the worst." I chuckled and swatted his chest. His big, flawless, muscular chest. 'Jesus Opie,' I thought. 'Get yourself together.'

"I'll be back in ten." He winked and took off, flicking off the guys in my living room as he left. I finished dressing and slid into the living room. Bobby and Les were hunched over on the sofa flipping through channels on the television. Hal and Junior were leaning against my apartment's door jamb talking.

"Breakfast?" I asked, plopping down in between them.

"Hell yeah!" Bobby exclaimed, jumping to his feet and grabbing my hand. He pulled me hard and I ended up getting a face full of rock hard Bobby chest.

"Damn..Y'all need to eat more cake or something. You are just too hard everywhere." I stopped, realizing what I said. Bobby smiled a shit eating grin and Les chuckled. "You know what I meant!"

"So, where you taking me to, Gorgeous?" Les pulled me from Bobby's grasp and wrapped an arm around me. "Since it's your treat…I'm assuming that it's someplace good."

"I want waffles!" Ram shouted from somewhere in the hallway. "With strawberries and whipped cream and sprinkles!"

"I want a huge omelet." Hall spread his hands about a foot apart to communicate exactly how big. "With everything."

"Jesus…men are children." I shook my head and went to the doorway to slip on my shoes. "Anyone know where my purse went?"

"Last I saw it, Tank had it." Cal peeked out from behind Ram in the hallway. "It went smashing with his outfit." His fake British accent made me cringe.

"Ugh…phone?" I pinched the bridge of my nose. "How about my phone?"

"Got it." Hal pulled my cell from his pocket and handed it to me.

I looked at the guys. They were dressed down in jeans, t-shirts and sneakers. I smiled as I took them all in. Cal had changed into a pair of loose light colored jeans with holes that I doubt were put there prior to their purchase. There was a giant phoenix stretched across the slightly tight gray shirt that wrapped around to the back. On his head was a Dodgers baseball cap hiding his entire tattoo.

Hal was wearing dark cargo jeans with a plain white shirt and bright green sneakers. He had a stud in his ear and a thin gold chain sticking out around his neck. Bobby had a deep purple hoodie and fitted jeans. His normal black utility watch was replaced with a shiny silver one and he was wearing deep purple high tops. Ram had a dark blue tank under a half buttoned lighter blue shirt. His jeans were tight enough to make a girl break out in a sweat, but hung loose enough that he wasn't looking like some Bieber-wanna be.

"Bella, I got a hold of Tank. He will meet wherever you want to go." Hector strolled in looking amazing. His hair was messed intentionally, and he had large diamond studs in both of his ears. His dark green t-shirt draped over his shoulders just enough to hide the muscular body that I knew was under there. His jeans were well worn and accented his thick legs all the way down to the black boots he wore.

"You guys are making me feel like the grenade." I groaned. Les chuckled and slid me tightly against his chest. Junior just shook his head. He was wearing tear away pants and a Wild's jersey.

"You, my dear are not a grenade." He kissed my hair. I looked up at him and smiled. Today Les was dressed like a frat boy. His Penn State t-shirt looked well-worn as did the jeans that hugged his ass so nicely that I actually got jealous of his back pockets. His normal combat boots had been replaced by a pair of black Chuck Taylors and his hair was being concealed under a blue Penn State cap; a white Littany Lion emblazoned across the front.

"Should I change?" I looked down at my clothes and then touched my hair. "Ugh…hold on. Give me like five minutes."

They all groaned in unison, and I flicked them off as I ran into the bathroom. My hair wasn't too bad, but the curls were definitely screaming to be tamed. I grabbed my leave in conditioner and sprayed the crap out of it, before trying to comb it out.

"Mother fucker." I ground out, as the comb got stuck for the third time. Hector, who had followed me back into the bathroom, chuckled.

"Bella, give it." He held out his hand and I gave him the wide-tooth comb, scowling. "Do you have ties?"

"Yeah." I reached down and pulled open the top drawer on the vanity and scooped out the small container I held them in. "I hate my hair. I have seriously thought about just shaving it all off."

"Don't you dare." He whispered, before taking my hand and bringing me back into the living room. He pointed to the ottoman that was in front of the large leather chair and I sat down.

"Never knew that hair was in your bag of tricks?" Hal asked, seeming genuinely surprised.

"Fuck off." Hector replied. It took him only a few minutes to comb through the mess of curls and a few more to separate and braid two very thick French braids down either side of my head. "Band." He said, comb in his mouth. I raised the container and he pulled out two black bands quickly twisting them around the ends. "There Perfect." He tossed the comb onto the couch and helped me to stand.

"IHop?" I asked, running my hands along the braids. I got nods and 'sure'. "Let's roll."

Breakfast, or lunch since it was closer to one by the time we finished, was followed by a round of paintball just out of town. There wasn't an inch of me that wasn't covered with pain, dirt or grass when we filed into the EconoVan that we took from Rangeman. Cal was rubbing the back of his head, where a couple of well-placed short ranged rounds splattered during our last "Battle".

"Next time I won't be so nice, Sweetness." He tugged on the braids that had miraculously stayed in place. "You had fun thought, right?"

"Oh yeah. I needed that." I was positioned between Cal and Ram who were equally covered in paint, dirt, grass and god knows what else. "I need a shower and food."

"We're heading back to Haywood." Tank said from the driver's seat. We had dropped off his car at his place before heading out to the paintball range. "Ranger called. I might need to pull some of you guys for a couple hours."

"What's going on?" I asked, picking at the drying paint on my jeans.

"A High Bond FTA that we've been having trouble with was spotted. We want to get him before he goes off radar again and we miss the deadline." He sighed. "Fucker is slipperier than snot."

"Thorton?" Les asked from behind me.

"Yep." Tank shook his head. "Last time we almost got him, Manny was thrown off a three story fire escape. Fucker's lucky we haven't just shot him and brought in the DOA receipt."

"Shit." Cal slipped off his hat and rubbed his head roughly. "Where's he at?"

"There's a fight tonight on the Pier. Word is he has a shit ton of cash on one of the fighters. He is going to want to be there." Tank pulled into the underground garage and we all piled out and stood in a mass in front of the van. "Who's in?"

Ram, Cal and Les raised their hand.

"I'm in." Hector sighed.

"Me too." Hal said, pushing his hand into his pockets.

"Can I come?" I asked, biting my lip and crossing my fingers. They all turned to look at me. "What?"

"Sure." Tank chuckled and walked towards the elevators. "Meet me down here, full battle rattle in an hour."

We bolted for the stairs as the elevator slid shut. It had become a game to us over the past weeks, and I was gonna win. Whoever made it to the top first was given the unspoken top dog award for the day. There were four flights of stairs and knowing the guys they were going to fight tooth and nail to get there first.

"Oh fuck no you don't." Ram laughed, picking me up from in front of him and placing me down on the landing.

"That's cheating!" I scrambled up after him. Hector was in the rear, casually taking the steps one at a time at a slight jog. Les and Cal were wrestling on the 2nd floor landing when I hopped over them. The only one in front of me now was Ram. Just as I rounded the 3rd floor landing, I saw a shadow in my peripheral vision.

"HEY!" Ram yelled as he saw Hector pull himself up over the banister of the fourth floor landing. He had Spiderman'd his way up the inside spiral of the cement and steel staircase. Ram and I reached the landed just as Hector walked through the door. "Son of a bitch." Ram cursed under his breath.

"Hector…that's cheating." I laughed and slapped his shoulder. He winked and picked me up, flipping me over his shoulder.

"I'm showering at your place, Bella." He said nonchalantly walking towards my door and letting himself in. I stilled as he continued into the bathroom and set me down on the countertop next to the sink. "Bella, you look like you are going to faint." He chuckled and pinched my cheeks.

"You cheated." I changed the subject and folded my arms across my chest. "EEP." I slapped my hands over my eyes as Hector stripped and flipped on the water.

"You really need to get laid." He laughed and pulled my hands away from my face. I knew that I was beet red.

"You do know that stripping naked in front of a woman is just not something a normal person does, right?" I tried desperately to keep my vision above his waist. "Oh my God." I had glanced down. "Shit." My hand rose in between us and I blocked the view from his belly button down.

"I'll be five minutes." He laughed and slipped into the shower and closed the glass door. I groaned and pulled myself off the vanity and went into my closet to pull out my Rangeman uniform. Like he promised, the shower turned off after five minutes and he came strolling out in nothing but a towel, water still dripping down his chest and back. "You're up."

"Hector." I groaned, pointing at his mostly naked body. "You are just cruel."

"Bella." He winked. "You know me better than that."

"This isn't helping my hormones, Love Muffin." I laughed and started towards the shower. He caught my hand and pulled me to him. My breath caught in my chest as he pulled my t-shirt up over my head, tossing it into the hamper. "Ugh…you make me wonder how you are with a man."

"I'm worse." He winked again, kissing my cheek and turning me. He swatted my butt as I walked away shaking my head.

Showered and fitted with gear I sauntered into the common space between Les and my apartment. I smiled as I saw him leaning up against the counter eating a sandwich. His hair was slicked back and wet, the subtle waves of his hair shining in the overhead lights.

"You look clean." I pulled open the fridge and grabbed a sandwich and two bottles of water; handing one to him.

"I can't be dirty all the time." He took the water and drained it. "You had fun today?"

"I did." I hopped up on the counter and started on my sandwich. "You guys sure do know how to show a girl a good time."

"Yeah." He sighed, finishing off his sandwich and stood watching me finish mine. When I was done, he took the wrapper from me and tossed it into the trash. "You look good."

He slid in between my legs and settled his hands on my hips.

"I prefer you the way you looked earlier." I shrugged, a small smile curling the corner of my mouth. "You looked like a frat boy."

"Yeah well." He slid his hand up my back and cupped the back of my head. "I have a favorite image of you too."

"Yeah yeah." I shook my head slightly, and bit my lip. He was so close and smelled amazing. "I'm not going to be stripping again any time soon."

"While that image of you is….amazing." He leaned forward, kissing the space right below my ear. I sighed and leaned into him, my hands on his elbows. "My favorite was you in your pajamas curled up next to me."

"You sure know how to make a girl feel all mushy inside, don't you Big boy." I smiled, and then gasped as he nipped the space between my neck and shoulder. "Jesus, Les…"

"Mushy, huh?" His breath hot against my skin. "I was going more for...wet." His eyes flickered and I swear I moaned just a little before his lips crashed down on mine. We kiss furiously, hands grasping and pulling into each other. When we broke, we were short of breath.

"That….was…" I began, putting his face between my hands and kissing his lips softly. "You are a great kisser, you know that?"

"It takes two to Tango, Gorgeous." He sucked my lip into his mouth before starting another searing kiss.

"Ah hem" A voice echoed through the room and we both shot apart, breathing heavy. Hector stood, hands on hips, grinning from ear to ear. "Later, lovebirds. We have to roll."

"Shit." I hopped down and we hauled ass to the garage.

We ran through Cluck and a Bucket as we made our way to the Pier. Ranger, and a few other Merry Men were already parked a block away waiting for us to get there.

"Fights start in 2 hours." Ranger said as we all piled out of the vehicles and huddled together. He shook his head as the chicken bucket made its second rounds through. "Seriously?"

"We were hungry." Tank said, biting off a big hunk of meat. "This was our day off you know."

"What's it look like?" I asked, swiping a biscuit. "I'm assuming that they will have rent a thugs."

"Each fighter has their own entourage, but the host has hired some guys to cover the floor. He knows that we are going to be in there, but he wants us to take him quietly." Ranger stood hands on hips. "That means shadows, Gentlemen." I cleared my throat and raised an eyebrow. "And lady."

"Got it." Tan chucked the chicken bone into the bag that was passing around and wiped his hands on his pants. "I'll take Team one to the back. Do we know when to expect him?"

"The fights are about to start. The round he is interested in is scheduled for 10pm." Ranger looked at his watch. "So we have about 45 minutes."

"Got it, Boss." Hal cracked his knuckles. "I'll take my team and we'll head up to the upper balcony. It'll be dark up there so we can keep an eye out for anything happening in the inside."

"Alright." Ranger clapped his hands. "Let's get this fucker. I have a date."

Whistles and catcalls went up as we split, leaving Ranger shaking his head as he headed out towards the front entrance with his team. I followed Tank, since I was assigned to his team. Les, Hector, Junior and I headed to the back of the building and waited. There was an entrance there that was used by the fighters and some VIPs.

Hector and I crouched down next to a dumpster near the exit, while Tank, Les and Junior scattered; hiding behind various cars and outcropping. We were wired with ear buds and throat mics.

"Team Alpha to team one." The automated voice buzzed through my ear. Throat mics were such a bitch. While you could usually figure out who it was, the normal inflections that a person's voice has are digitized and stripped of personality.

"Team one in." Tank's digitized voice responded.

"Target is coming in the front. Two bodies in front, pleasure cruisers on either side. We have a small wall. Maybe three wolves."

"Why can't we just speak English?" I shook my head. Hector chuckled.

"Ranger said that there are two body guards in the front, two females draped on either arm and three other guards trying to act inconspicuous." Hector adjusted his ear wig again and settled in next to me. "The small wall…well that just means that they aren't Tank huge, but they aren't tiny."

"I know." I laughed. "I hate how they call women pleasure cruisers."

We settled down and waited. The fights could take a while. Hal was updating us as the fights went along, and I was thankful that we had throat mics. I hated how normal mics picked up the sound in the room. The dull roar that I could hear though the door would be deafening. After about an hour had passed, and Hector and I had played so many rounds of 'Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock" that we had added about twenty new combinations.

"Team one!" Ranger's voice startled both of us. "Mark is moving toward you. Get ready for his exit. We will push around back once you give confirmation."

"Roger that." Tank rumbled. "Ready your weapons. Remember, we need to take him from behind. Watch for the females."

"I'll take them if they cause trouble." I replied, unclipping my gun for the ready and pulling out my stun gun.

"Coming out now." Hal's voice barely beat the door opening. Hector and I smashed up against the dumpster, watching the shadows. Hector raised three fingers, dropped them and raised another three. I nodded, knowing that meant that the mark had three guards in front now, and three in back. I tapped it out on my mic and waited for Tank's voice to confirm.

"Shit." Hal again. "Hold tight. We have a half dozen coming your way after them. They look pissed. Alpha move to the back. We're gonna be held up for 90 seconds."

I glanced at Hector who was swearing silently, pressing an arm against my chest to push me back further into the dumpster. I closed my eyes and listened as the footsteps shuffled through the gravel.

"Fucking A, Boss." A gruff male voice said. "You sure they don't suspect you rigging that?"

"Shut up, Wringman." Another male voice ground out. The footsteps stopped. "We got the cash that is all that matters. Go get the car, and bring it back here."

"Sure, Boss." The first voice said, taking off at a jog around the front of the building. Just as the footsteps sounded around the corner the door burst open again. I stole a glance as the footsteps past Hector and my hiding spot.

"THORTON!" A man's voice thick with a Spanish accent and gruff called out. "You fucking cheat!"

"Fuck off, Ortiz." Thorton growled. "I won my money fair and square. Your man was just a poor fighter."

The men were standing in front of one another in half circles; Thorton, surrounded by his remaining 5 goons, and Ortiz who had his men as well. Hector and I scooted closer to the wall, thankful that we were still blanketed in darkness.

"Hold your position." Tank commanded. "We have to wait for Alpha."

"We need to get them before they pull out their guns." I whispered quietly. "If they start shooting, Hector and I will be mincemeat in the cross fire."

"Opie." Ranger whispered. I turned and watched as he came around the corner and squatted by Hector and me. "We will take the men in the rear left, Hal and his team will position after we've started. Tank move in on Thorton, try to keep him alive."

"Got it, Boss." Tank said.

"Go!" Ranger's command was followed instantly by a wave of black descending on the group. Guns were drawn and fired. Hector and I crept forward; tagging two men with our stun guns before launching at the other two. Ranger headed straight for Ortiz, while Tank and Junior tagged Thorton's men. Les was grappling with Thorton for his gun. After a moment, the remaining team followed and the fight was done.

"That was a little too easy." I chuckled, zip-tying hands and feet. "What happened to the guy who went to get the car?"

"Binkie got him." Ranger said, pulling Ortiz on his feet. Ortiz's hands were tied behind his back and he looked pissed as all hell. "This isn't about you, man." Ranger said as Ortiz seethed.

"Fucker stole my money." Ortiz spat towards Thorton, who was currently being drug towards the black SUVs that circled around back. "You are getting between me and my cash. That's not a place you want to be."

"Tank!" I called out, running towards him. He stopped and tilted his chin towards. I began searching Thorton's pockets. "Where's the cash, fucker?"

"Fuck you, Bitch!" Thorton wriggled and went to kick me. Les sidled up next to me and grabbed him by the throat.

"Even think about touching her and I will rip your throat out." Les' voice was cold and caused Thorton to shake and nod. "Where's the cash?"

"Back pocket. White envelope." Thorton stuttered out. I reached behind him and pulled out the envelope, thumbing it open to make sure it was the money.

Ranger had been watching me, a small smirk curling on his lip. I strode back to him and handed him the envelope.

"No harm no foul." I said, hands on hips. Ranger shook his head and turned back to Ortiz.

"See...you and I are good." Ranger pulled out a knife and cut away the ties. "You don't want beef with me, man. "

"You attacked me." Ortiz rubbed his wrists and took the envelope, quickly counting the cash. "Release my men, and I will think about forgetting this."

A quick nod from Ranger and his men's bindings were cut. "Thank you would be nice." I said, shaking my head.

"Fucking cunt." Ortiz grumbled. "Why the fuck would I thank you? You took away my right to kill the motherfucker who stole from me."

"Well, sometimes you have to take what you can get and be thankful." I smarted back. This guy seriously had issues. "I could always just take that money back."

"Opie." Ranger said, his voice clearing stating to shut the fuck up. He looked back at Ortiz. "Get the fuck out of here, and I will forget you spoke to a member of my team like that."

"Getting soft, eh Manoso?" Ortiz chuckled, eyeing me up and down. "Is this the new company snatch? I wouldn't mind breaking her in for you."

"Fuck off." I growled, taking a step forward. "You're a dickless chicken shit."

Hands went around my waist and pulled me back. "Back off, Bella." Hector whispered, pulling me away. "You don't want to get under his skin. He's not a very nice man."

"I'll show you, puta." Ortiz shouted as Hector led me away. "I'll have you wrapped around my dick soon enough. Your little bitches here can't watch you all the time."

"Enough!" Ranger shouted, pushing Ortiz back towards the entrance. "You will respect my team members, regardless of their gender. You know what will happen if you fuck with me. And when you fuck with my team you fuck with me. Don't make that mistake."

Ortiz glared at Ranger, then at me before waving his men back into the building. Hector's dragging stopped as we reached the SUV. I was leaning back against it, fists curled tightly at my sides. Ranger looked at me, lowered and shook his head before walking to us.

"You have to keep it cool, Opie." Ranger said as he strode up to me and pressed a hand against the side of the SUV just by the side of my head. "My influence will only reach so far, and you stand out."

"I stand out?" I said incredulously. "How do I stand out?"

"Well, for starters..." He leaned forward. "You have bright red hair, are the only female other than Steph who works for Rangeman on the outside and you have made a big impression on the male population of Trenton."

"You are so full of shit." I scoffed, pushing myself away from the van. Ranger put out his hand and pressed me back against the side.

"You have." He ran his hands over his face. "I know that you aren't big on social media, frankly neither am I. It's a pain in the ass. But we have to monitor all local avenues that we can."

"So, what does some Burg housewife's Instagram accounts have to do with me?" I crossed my arms over my chest.

"You know how Steph got pretty famous after her exploits?" He was speaking low. I nodded. "You, my dear, already have a dozen blogs dedicated to the new Rangegirl as well as a couple of interesting Instagram followers from a fan made account."

"Shut the front door." My mouth opened and closed like a fish. "Why would people make fun of me? I didn't do anything wrong? I didn't explode anything."

"A beautiful new woman, single and bad ass….seriously?" Ranger stood back and pulled his hand from beside my head. "I know you can take care of yourself, but you have to understand that you have to be aware of what is really going on in the underground. The rumor mills here are insane, and YOU are their new favorite topic."

"Fuck my life." I groaned and slid my hands over my face.

"It's not so bad." He tipped my chin up with one finger, looking at me softly. "Steph had a hard time with it, mostly because she is from here. Her family wasn't really supportive and gave her too much shit."

"Yeah, well. I have no one to give me shit…other than you guys."

He smiled at that. "We got your back. No one fucks with my team." He winked. "Let's get back to Haywood. I have a date and I am late." I rolled my eyes as he gave me a full 200 watt smile.

We all piled back into the vehicles and rode back to Haywood, minus the SUV carrying Thorton who went to the TPD station. I was sandwiched between Hector and Les who were coming down off of the adrenaline high.

"Was Ranger serious?" I asked Cal and Hal who were next to me in the middle seat of the SUV. They both cocked an eyebrow at me. "He said that I have, like, a cult following?"

"Oh, that." Hal chuckled and pulled out his phone. "It's actually pretty nice, compared to Bomber's."

He flipped through some apps and pulled up his Instagram.

"You have Instagram?" I laughed, taking the phone as he handed it to me. He shrugged. I flipped through the account that he had pulled up and shook my head. "That's a lot of pictures of me."

There were hundreds of posts with pictures. Me at Pino's eating; the guys and I stalking down the Stark Street looking for a perp.

"Wow." I blushed as a picture of me during last night's distraction came onto the screen. "That was quick."

"Yeah." Cal pulled out his own phone and began scrolling. He tilted the screen to me. It was a Facebook page titled, "Adventures of Rangegirl". I groaned. "They are mostly positive, but the negative ones are usually shot down pretty quick by the active users."

"This is scary." I laughed, reaching over and swiping my finger down the screen and scrolling through the posts. I handed Hal his phone. "This pretty much limits distractions, doesn't it?"

"Nah, not usually." Hal pocketed the phone and winked at me. "You have the ability to render a man stupid. He won't figure it out until it's too late."

We pulled into the Rangeman garage and piled out, grabbing gear and shuffling towards the stairwell. We trudged up the stairs, stopping on the second floor to sign in the gear that was taken out and inventorying our ammunition. Thankfully there hadn't been any gunshot wounds, so paperwork was a minimum.

"I am exhausted." I yawned as I pushed through the fourth floor door and staggered to my apartment.

"Tomorrow is another day, Gorgeous." Les swung an arm around my shoulders and walked with me to our doors. "What are your plans?"

"I kind of want to get ahold of Diesel tomorrow." I sighed. I hadn't talked to him in a few weeks and I really wanted him to clarify some of the boundaries of me being here.

"He hasn't been around much since he dropped you off." Les leaned against my doorframe, arms crossed loosely.

"He's been in Massa chutes." I sighed. "Some weird Unmentionable shit happening there." I knew what he was doing. I mean, I have read the books so far in the Diesel/Lizzy series.

"Well, I don't work until third shift tomorrow, so if you want some company you know where I am." Les leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on my lips before winking and going into his apartment. I sighed, pushed through my own door and headed straight for my bedroom.


	9. Chapter 9

AUTHOR's NOTE: So I know it's been a while since my last chapter, but I promise it was for a REALLY good reason. This chapter is also a little shorter than the other ones, but I think that I left it off at a good spot. Remember to review and give me feedback. If there are inconsistencies, errors, or even just moments of WTF…let me know. I am always grateful for your views and reviews.

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I woke early and headed for the gym. I needed to run.

"You're up early." Binkie said pushing an enormous of weights.

"Yeah, well. I have a lot of stuff to do today." I hopped on the treadmill, plugged in my ear buds and ran. Eight miles and about an hour later I staggered off, stretched and headed towards my apartment. When I got in, I slumped onto the sofa and flicked on the television. Just as I was flipping through the guide there was a knock on my door.

"Come in." I shouted, leaning forward and preparing myself to stand up.

Hector strolled into my apartment and grinned when he saw me.

"Bella, you look well spent." He offered his hand and I took it, pulling myself to my feet.

"I went for a run this morning." I stretched my arms over my head, and he poked my belly. "I have to try to get ahold of Diesel today."

"That sound like it will be complicated." Hector shrugged.

"Diesel is complicated." I chuckled. "What about you? What are your plans for today?"

"I'm going to follow you around." His face broke into a huge Cheshire grin.

"Why?"

"Nothing better to do." He plopped down on the sofa and kicked his feet up. "Go shower and get ready. I'll wait here." He picked up the remote and started flipping through the channels.

I strolled into my bedroom and shut the door.

Forty five minutes later I was clean and dressed. Hector was watching some DIY show and munching on some triscuits.

"That was quick." He looked up, saw my still wet and tangled hair and frowned.

"Yep. I'm efficient." I pulled out the comb and hair tie that I carried from the bathroom and grinned ear to ear. "Do you mind?"

"I don't mind." He shook his head chuckling as he sat up and motioned for me to sit on the floor between his knees. I did, and he got to work untangling the wet mass of hair. "This reminds me of when my sisters were little."

"How many sisters do you have?" I asked closing my eyes and relaxing as his fingers delicately worked through my curls.

"Five." He gave my hair a quick tug, playfully. "I'm the oldest, and my youngest sister is 10 years younger than me. Mom worked a lot and dad was never around. So, I helped out as much as I could."

"You would make an awesome big brother."

"You'd think right." He sighed, finally able to pull a comb all the way through my hair. "I guess I was, up until they started dating. Then, I admit, I became a bit of an asshole."

"Understandable."

He began braiding my hair, tugging gently and quickly. I can imagine how his fingers quickly twisted and wrapped around my hair probably without even messing up at all. He was done in a matter of minutes; tying the end with a tie.

"I love your hair." Hector's voice was soft and sounded far away, as if he was remembering something. "My sister Anna had hair like yours. Not red of course, but just as thick and wavy."

"It's a bitch." I chuckled, touching the delicate braid with my finger tips and joining him on the couch. "Now that I know you can do this, I might take advantage." I winked.

"I am hoping that you do." He tapped my nose with his finger. "Call Diesel."

Pulling out my phone I scrolled through the names, tapping on his. The phone clicked over and began to ring.

"Sup." Diesel answered groggily.

"Are you busy?" I played with the end of my braid nervously.

" ?" I could hear what sounded like bedding being rustled and then him stretching.

"I was hoping that you could come by." I nibbled my lip. I hated asking him to drop whatever he was doing to come and cater to my inquiries.

"Sure. Let me throw on something and I will be there in a minute." I heard more shuffling. "You at your apartment?"

"Yep. Hector is here with me. Just in case you have reservations about popping in with him here."

"Not a problem. Be there in five." He hung up.

"He coming?" Hector asked, resting his arm on the sofa behind my head. I nodded. "That's good. How long will it take him to get here?"

"Five minutes?" I watched as he raised his eyebrow at me. "He is pretty talented."

"We should probably call down to control so they know to let him up." Hector angled himself and reached for his phone in his pocket.

"No need." I chuckled. Hector looked at me, shaking his head. He quickly placed the call to control.

"Manny…Hector." He said. "There is going to be…"

Large arms reached down from behind the sofa and yanked me up. I squealed. Hector, being ever so vigilant jumped to his feet and drew his weapon.

"What the fuck?" Hector said as Diesel cuddled me into his arms. I could hear Manny yelling through Hector's phone.

"Sexy." Diesel laid a kiss on the top of my head. "Like the hair."

The door flew open and Junior and Ram stumbled in. Hector was still standing there mouth opening and closing like a gold fish.

"How the fuck did you get in here?" Ram stuttered, looking around the apartment. "I've been watching monitors…there was no sign of you anywhere."

"He's magic." I laughed. "We are fine guys."

"Shit." Junior let out a breath. "You scared the shit out of me."

Diesel put me down, wrapping an arm over my shoulders. Hector was still standing staring at us. Ram and Junior walked out of the apartment, shaking their heads and muttering something about drinking too much.

"Hector...you need to breath, man." I walked to him and put my hands on his face. He shook his head and took a deep breath. "There you go, Love Muffin. It's fine. I promise." He pulled me into his chest and kissed my cheek.

"You sure know to give a man a heart attack." He chuckled and released me.

"So, what's up?" Diesel was lounging on the couch, feet on the ottoman

"I have some questions and a favor." I said, taking the seat next to him. Hector took the recliner across from us, sitting at the edge of the seat.

"Okay, shoot."

I looked at Hector and then at Diesel. I was trying to figure out exactly how I was going to word this so that Hector didn't have some sort of existential crisis.

"It's fine Opie." Diesel took my hand, gently rubbing circles over the palm of my hand.

"Marco's emails are getting weird." I blurted out.

"Weird as in how?"

"He has never been pleasant, but now his emails are just one giant threat after another." I pulled out my phone and tapped into my email program. "See." I handed it to Diesel.

As Diesel read, I watched Hector's face. Emotion after emotion flitted past. Shock, anger, worry, anger, fear, worry. Finally he spoke.

"Bella, why didn't you say anything?" His fingers steepled in front of him as he leaned back.

"Shit." Diesel spoke before I could answer. He pulled out his phone and quickly dialed a number. "You can't do this." He spoke into the phone, anger rippling off him like fire. I watched his face as the person on the other line spoke. "Wolf, I'm warning you."

"Wolf?" I gasped. He was one bad dude. The idea of him having something to do with the emails sent a cold shiver of fear through my body.

"Listen fucker!" Diesel gritted through clenched teeth. "You can't just..."

"It's not a game, Wolf." Diesel continued, placing a warm hand on my hair and stroking my head gently. "If I get to him first, I will come after you next. Get him back where he belongs." There was another moment of silence. "Fuck!" Diesel chucked his phone onto the seat next to him and pulled me into his arms. "Fuck, I'm sorry Opie. I'll get him."

"What's going on?" I asked my voice weak and soft. Angry Diesel was kind of scary.

"Wolf has a sick sense of humor." Diesel ran his hand over his face. "I have to go."

And he was gone.

"Should I even try to figure this out?" Hector mumbled, running his hand through his hair.

"It's probably is best if you don't." Chuckling I curled up on his lap.

"Bella, what's going on with this Marco?" His hand was resting across my thighs, running small circles with his fingers. "If he's threatening you..."

"He's an ass." I sighed, leaning my head on his shoulder. His hand went to my back and stroked from the base of my neck to the small of my back. "He wants my car, and I am NOT giving it to him. He has EVERYTHING else."

"I can get you a car, Bella." Hector chuckled. "I can get you ten cars."

"Look at you Mr. Big Bucks." I poked him in the ribs. "It's not the cost of the car. It was the first new car I ever had. I earned it, and I don't want to give it up because he is a selfish prick."

"That can't be the only reason why he's harassing you."

"No, probably not. But I don't want to know about the other things." My stomach growled loudly, causing me to jump. "Wanna get some lunch?"

"Sure." He stood, holding me against his chest for a moment before setting me back on my feet. Should we see if anyone wants to come with?" I nodded. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick group text. After a moment his phone pinged back. After reading it he responded and turned back to me. "Bobby is off today. He suggested Pino's. Is that good?"

"That sounds great?" I ran into my room and slipped on sneakers, strapped my holster to my side and grabbed a light jacket. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror to make sure that my gun wasn't visible; it wasn't so I slipped my wallet in my back pocket and headed back to Hector.

"How about I drive?" Hector said, as I locked my apartment.

"Sure." I hadn't seen Hector's personal vehicle yet. "Is Bobby meeting us there?"

"Nope." He pointed behind me. I turned to see Bobby, decked out in jeans and a t-shirt strolling towards us.

"Opie. Hector." Bobby wrapped an arm around my shoulder and tucked me into a half hug when he got to us. "Who's driving?"

"Hector."

We took the elevator to the garage, because it was our day off. When you are as active as we are, sometimes something as simple as taking an elevator can be a blessing. I followed Hector when we reached the garage, looking around to see what vehicle he was going to have. I shook my head as a set of headlights flashed.

"No fucking way." I giggled. There in the far corner of the garage, tucked behind a giant half wall was the most amazing car I have seen in a long time. "Is that…..a 67 Impala?"

"Yes." Hector laughed and pulled me next to him. "Surprised you knew that."

"Serious?" I rolled my eyes. I remembered that maybe Supernatural wasn't a TV show here. "I have a friend that drives one of these."

"Oh really?" Hector was a human lie detector, but he let it slide.

When we got up to the car I ran my fingertips gingerly across the glossy red paint. This was a damn sexy car. Bobby and Hector just stood; shaking their heads with a smirk on their faces as I mentally molested the car.

"Do we need to leave you alone with the car for a bit?" Bobby finally said, pulling open the passenger door and motioning for me to get in.

"Oh fuck no." I flipped the seat forward and pointed in. "You are getting in the back. I need to be up close and personal with this car."

Bobby just laughed and squeezed his giant frame in the back seat the car, settling in the middle of the bench seat. I slid in, and sighed as my ass slid across perfect leather. The smell was amazing. A mixture of leather cleaner, and citrus. Hanging over the perfectly clean dash was a small wooden rosary.

"I love this car." I bit my lip and stroked the dash board. "I want this car. I don't think I have ever had so many inappropriate thoughts about a car in my life."

"Bella…you are a dangerous woman." He chuckled and started the engine. I almost moaned as the engine caught and roared to life. "You can make a man second think his sexual preference."

"It's worse when your sexual preference is already pointing in her direction." Bobby laughed and pulled on my braid.

"Oh shush you two." I swatted at Bobby's hand. "Head to Pino's before I drag you both of this car and change my own sexual preference."

The car filled with laughter as we pulled around in front of Pino's. Of course, being Merry Men, the perfect parking spot was waiting for us. We parked and strolled inside. The place wasn't packed, as it was later in the afternoon. There were still a few customers enjoying the quiet. We straddled up to the counter and put in our orders. Beer and sandwiches with a side of something deep fried and smothered in cheese.

"I'll bring over the beer, why don't you guys get settled at a table." Bobby tilted his head towards the back of the restaurant. I followed Hector as he wound through tables. I had to stop for a moment while an elderly man exited his booth.

"You bitch! Where's my fucking car!" The deep man's voice behind me made my blood run cold. I turned and looked at his face, gasping.

"Marco?" His cold eyes sending a chill through my body. "How..."

He twisted my arm and pulled me up so that my feet barely touched the floor. Chairs scraped the floor as Hector and Bobby shout for him to put me down, but I just stood terrified staring into his eyes.

"O…where's my fucking car?!" He screamed, twisting my arm and making me whimper. A large hand slid around his neck, as another slid around my waist. Hector pulled me back by my waist and tucked me protectively against his chest.

"Fucking Bitch!" Marco grunted as he hit the floor. Bobby struggled to keep him on the floor. Marco is a big guy and when he's angry there's no feeling pain on his end.

"Call it in." Hector steadied me and joined Bobby to detain Marco.

With shaking hands I pulled out my phone and hit my speed dial for Tank.

"Sup, Opie." Tank answered.

"Need backup at Pino's." I stuttered, my voice sounding very small.

"Got it." I heard Tank shout for someone to join him. "Injuries?"

"Minor." I looked down at the bright red splotches on my arms darkening into bruises.

"Fucking Cunt!" Marco spat out, pushing off Bobby and Hector and lunging for me. I screamed, and tried to move out of the way as his body hit mine and we fell to the floor. He grabbed my head with his hands, his fingers digging into my scalp. "I'm tired of your bullshit!" I wriggled and kicked out, my hands cupping over his digging my nails in trying to loosen his grip. I could hear Tank's voice yelling from my phone, which were a couple inches from my head.

Bobby's thick arms wrapped around his neck as Junior tried to pry me out of his grip. Marco was probably roided out. His eyes were pin pricks and he was sweating. He lifted my head, cursing me again. I knew he was going to slam my head down into the tile of the floor. I closed my eyes, anticipating the pain.

There was a sickening crunch, and Marco's body went slack and covered on me; knocking the wind out of me. His body was hauled off of me and Hector wrapped me into his arms.

"Shh...Shh...Bella. I have you." He whispered over and over, running his hand up and down my back softly. I didn't realize I was crying until I noticed how wet his shirt was getting.

"Need…Phone." I hiccupped.

The front door burst open and I jumped, causing Hector to tighten his grip. Tank and Les looked around, their faces filled with panic.

"Opie." Les ran to me and pulled me out of Hector's arms, running his hands over my face and arms. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine." I sniffed, wiping my eyes and taking a deep breath. "I need my phone."

Hector looked down, picked up and handed me my phone. I looked at the chaos. Bobby had handcuffed Marco and was standing over him dabbing the blood off his lip. Marco was bleeding from the mouth and nose, and a faint boot print blossomed across his face. I looked up at Hector. He was sporting some bruises and a knot on the side of his face. Tank was standing, hands on hips by Bobby looking from me to Marco.

I reached around Les and pulled Bobby and Hector to me, wrapping them in a hug.

"Thank you." I whispered, their arms wrapping around me. I kissed them each on the cheek.

"Who the fuck is that?" Les pointed at Marco, who was now being moved to an awaiting SUV by two other Rangeman. Tank, rubbing his head, walked up next to us. I grabbed Les' hand and squeezed.

"That's Marco. My ex-husband." I sighed and scrolled my phone and dialed Diesel.

"Are you okay, Princess?" Bobby pushed back my hair, which was now looking more like bride of Frankenstein. I nodded and put my phone up to my ear.

"Sup." Diesel's voice sang into my phone.

"Here. Now." I growled, touching my fingertips to the side of my head and wincing.

"Uhh…not even a hello?"

"Blink your fucking ass here. NOW." I hung up and stowed my phone in my pocket. Les pulled me into an embrace and kissed my head. "I really can't fucking do right, Les."

"Don't worry. He's gonna sit in holding until you tell us what you want to do with him." He pulled me against him and wrapped me tightly in his arms. I felt his lips press softly against my head. "Who'd you call?"

"Diesel." My voice muffled. I didn't even move when I heard the front door crash open.

"OPIE!" Diesel's voice echoed through the building. I raised my free arm up and waved it slightly. I could hear his heavy footsteps stomped across the room, stopping directly behind me curled up in Les' arms.

"Hey!" Les shouted as I was pulled unceremoniously from his arms and turned. Diesel had his arms on my shoulders and was looking me over head to toe.

"Who?" Diesel's voice was clipped.

"Marco." I sighed before he pressed me to his chest.

"Jesus...Opie. I have been trying to get my hands on him." His arms wrapped around me as his hands ran softly up my back and over my hair. "Where is he?"

"Haywood." I said, once again muffled against a man's chest.

"Let's go then." He picked me up, bridle style and carried me outside. Les trailing behind us.

"Put me down." I scoffed, smacking his chest. "I can walk."

"Fine." He set me down, but grasped my hand firmly in his. "Which ride?"

"Mine." Hector strolled up next to us and tipped his chin towards the car.

"No shit." Diesel smiled and looked down at me. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yep." I smiled. "67 Impala. It's not black, but it's still sexy as hell."

Diesel cuddled me next to him, his arm wrapping around me. Hector remoted the doors unlocked and we slid into the back seat, giving Les the front. Bobby had crawled into Tank's SUV and we all headed towards Haywood.

"I'm sorry I didn't find him in time." Diesel whispered, curling his hand into mine. "I swear, when I get my hands on him…"

"You'll have to wait in line." Les growled, his eyes never straying from the road in front of him.

"As long as I get a piece I'm happy." Hector laughed, looking into the rear view mirror and winking at me.

"You are all such….guys." I laughed. It was touching that they all wanted to beat the tar out of him. I turned to Diesel and whispered quietly in his ear. "Why did Wolf bring him here? I thought that you couldn't really do that without invitation?"

"Wolf, like me, has ways around the rules, Pumpkin." He sighed. "He's trying to keep me from the stones. Lizzy and I are so close to the next one, and he has decided that he is going to play dirty."

"What a fucker." I ground out, looking out the window.

"Yeah he is." He chuckled and snuggled back into me.

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*****Review…review…review. Hope that you are enjoying the story so far. It's been a little while since my last chapter, but you know how real life can be. ***


	10. Chapter 10

**This chapter is going to trip some of you up. There are so many stories about people infiltrating the PlumVerse, but there are so many questions left. Dealing with her ex-husband, Opie is going to have to make sure that Ranger understands exactly what is going on. That can lead to some pretty sticky conversations. Thanks for continuing to read, and as always enjoy!**

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We arrived at Haywood and silently pulled into a parking spot in the garage. We all walked quietly towards the elevators and pressed 'B' and headed towards the basement.

"Ranger know?" I asked Les.

"Yep." He popped the 'P' and looked towards me. "He's already waiting down there I'm sure."

"Fabulous." I groaned. "Where's Steph?"

"She was up on five when I left; running searches." He glanced down at Diesel and my hands clasped and a flare of emotion slipped past his blank face. I smiled, unclasped my hand and pulled Les' into mine. He smiled. "How do you want to handle this?"

"I don't know."

The doors slid open and a small sea of Black stood in the middle of the hallway in front of one of the holding cells. You could feel the tension rolling off of them as they stood hands on hips and watched us as we made our way to them.

"This guy is an enigma." Ranger said coldly. He turned and ran a hand down his face. "Opie you need to tell me who this guy is, why he is here, and what is going on."

It wasn't a question, which isn't unusual for Ranger, but I could tell that he was irritated that he wasn't in the loop.

"His name is Marco DeChavez." I took a deep breath. "He's my ex-husband, and you won't be able to find anything on him."

"Why is he here? And why can't I find anything about him even existing. My sources aren't like some public library look up. If he exists, I would know." I looked up at Diesel and he nodded.

"I think we need to talk in private, Ranger." I worried my bottom lip. Les stiffened next to me. "Guys, just let him cool off and come down from whatever he is on. "

"Come with me." Ranger walked past us and back towards the elevators. He stopped feet from it, and opened a door immediately to his left. Holding it open he motioned for me to come in. I squeezed Les' hand before releasing it and grabbing Diesel as I strolled past.

As we entered the room, Ranger held up his FOB up at the cameras and closed and locked the door. He leaned up against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. The room was an interrogation room, with a shiny steel table and a couple of chairs.

"Diesel?"

"Maybe we should have had Tank come in just in case he freaks out." I knitted my hands nervously. Diesel laughed and pulled me into a chair, taking up the one next to me. I laughed and shook my head, pointing to the chair in front of us across the table. He just raised an eyebrow.

"Sit." Ranger looked from me to Diesel and then sat, placing his hands palms flat against the surface. He cocked an eyebrow and waited for me to start. "Okay, so this isn't going to sound good."

"That's not going to make him feel better." Diesel laughed, poking my side. I groaned. "Ranger…man…I know you know who I am." Ranger nodded. "You also know that there is shit that you just can't control, understand, or maybe even fathom."

"Just spit it out, Diesel." Ranger growled. "What the fuck is going on?"

"I'm not from here." I spit out. Diesel just shook his head and chuckled.

"Yeah, I know." Ranger sighed. "You were last in Colorado."

"Yeah, I was in Colorado, but not YOUR Colorado." I once again took up chewing on my bottom lip. His eyebrow was quirked so high on his face that I swear that it was about to join his hair line.

"Explain." Oh great…one word demands. There's the Ranger I know.

"You see, I'm not quite of your…..world." I groaned as Ranger's eyes slid shut in irritation. "Dimension? Shit, D…what the fuck would you call it?"

"It's an alternate plane." He explained calmly. "There are a vast number of realities. This is one." He motioned around. "Opie's is another."

"Are you high?" Ranger laughed, finally opening his eyes. Noticing that we weren't laughing, he stopped laughing and stood, his chair tipping over behind him. "Your files appeared conveniently after you first came to me."

"I knew that you would do a background check." Diesel explained calmly, pulling out his cell phone. "They are her records, only doctored. I replaced the people that were on there with their equals here."

"I wondered how that happened." I poked his shoulder and he shrugged.

"Wait…so you are trying to tell me that you are some…what…interplanetary traveler?" Ranger was running his hands roughly through his hair.

"Ummm…yes?"

"Explain."

"Jesus…Marco was supposed to stay in our..plane." I explained, my hands twisting around each other. "I had no one. Nothing. I was homeless and desperate."

"She was a couple days away from some pretty bad shit, man." Diesel quipped him, taking my hand and clasping it in his. "When she came here the first time, I was hoping that she would get a nice vacation. She deserved it. After the mess here, I brought her back and kept tabs on her."

"I don't believe you." Ranger deadpanned. Blank face fully in place.

"Is there any way for us to show him?" I asked, watching as Ranger began to almost vibrate with irritation.

"Well, we could pop over quick, but I don't know where I would bring him to prove it." Diesel flipped through his phone a bit and pulled up a number.

"What about Janet?" I turned away from Ranger's gaze. "Wouldn't she be able to show him…something?"

"Probably not a good idea." He chuckled. "She's pretty pissed at me at the moment."

"Wait…." I yanked his phone out of his hands. "What about the Plum-verse Fangirl convention?"

"That would be bringing a lamb to slaughter." He laughed and looked over at Ranger who now was sporting a twisted grimace. I shrugged and pulled up the site. After he read it over he stood. "This is gonna cause him to have an aneurism."

"It wouldn't be that bad." I rolled my eyes. "He's a big bad mercenary…I'm sure he can handle it."

Diesel stood and stared off into space for a few minutes. I was an inch away from smacking him back into reality when he looked at Ranger and spoke.

"Alright, Ranger…if you want proof I can show you. But this is gonna fuck with your head unless you are prepared for it."

"You guys lost me after the alternate plane shit." He growled.

"What are you thinking of?" I popped my knuckles nervously.

"It's unconventional, but it will be quiet and secure." A smile spread across his face. "He's gonna meet the other Babe."

"What?" I looked at Ranger to see if he had any idea of what he was saying, but only a blank confused look met me. "Where are we going?"

"Saint Louis." Diesel slapped his hands together and rubbed them devilishly.

"Do you think that we could pop him out and be back before anyone notices?" I stood up and looked out the small window at the top of the door. The men were all still standing by the other door.

"I am sure that we could be in and out with enough proof for him within an hour or two." He said. Ranger just looked from me to Diesel and back.

"I have a feeling that I am going to regret this." He mumbled, shaking his head.

"This is going to be awesome!" Diesel clapped his hands together and walked toward Ranger, who eyed us both like we were going to eat him. "Take my hands, both of you. It's not going to be a pleasant ride for you guys, but it won't be too bad. I can pop us right at the front door."

"I wish that we were going to the convention." I wined. "I always wanted to go to one." I giggled, grabbing his hand. I looked at Ranger, who still stood completely bristling. Diesel grabbed his hand and we were gone.

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Everything went black and it felt like my entire body was being pressed heavily on all sides. After only a few seconds, light burst before my eyes and I slammed down into the pavement out of breath and dizzy. Ranger was next to me, breathing heavy and shaking his head.

"What the fuck!?" He growled, pushing to his feet. I followed, looking around. Diesel was standing, tapping casually on his phone. "What the fuck happened?"

"Welcome to Saint Louis!" Diesel grinned and spread his arms wide. "Well, outer Saint Louis, really." Ranger opened his mouth, but quickly shut it. I reached out and grabbed his hand, hoping that he wouldn't whip out his gun and just start shooting.

"Ranger, trust me, please." I placed his hand between mine. "This will help you gain some perspective. Then we can go home and figure out how to deal with this mess." He just nodded; his eyes whipping around taking in his surroundings.

We were in the parking lot of what I can assume is a park. Playground equipment and picnic tables spotted the vast green landscape. Water fountains and basketball courts were off in the distance. You could hear a few smaller children playing, the sound of water and cars in the distance.

"Where are we, exactly?" I asked, keeping Ranger's hand tightly in mine.

"We are at Salisbury Park." Diesel grinned. Ranger quirked an eyebrow. They shared a strange look, obviously exchanging some sort of ESP. "We have to walk a couple of blocks north, but it's not far. I didn't want to pop in the middle of the street and scare people."

"That's nice of you." I chuckled.

We walked at a fairly brisk pace through the park. Ranger, ever vigilant, swept his eyes constantly looking for whatever could be considered a threat. So far the closest thing I found was an overly-friendly squirrel that was bounding from tree to tree overhead, tossing various twigs and berries down at us.

"I hate going into places blind." Ranger grumbled as we stopped at the outer road, looked both ways and crossed. "I feel like a pig going to slaughter right now."

"You aren't going to die, Rangeman." Diesel chuckled. "Well, I am pretty sure that you will be okay."

"That isn't very comforting." I shook my head.

"It's the gray house on the end." Diesel pointed and we all headed in that direction.

It was a fairly large house, with a two car garage, white picket fence and matching white shutters. It was a split level home with huge windows across the higher level. The yard was perfectly manicured and minimal. Unlike the rest of the houses, it didn't have large flowering bushes or kids' toys strewn across the yard. As we got closer, I felt Ranger stop; tugging my hand with his lack of movement.

"What the fuck is this?" He asked quietly, taking note of the name on the mailbox.

"Come on, Ranger." I know that you are starting to put this together. I looked between them. They weren't going to be giving me any clues as they were currently stuck in some sort of ESP like staring contest.

"Alright boys." I sighed in exasperation. "Wanna clue me in?"

"Come on." Diesel strode up the steps, Ranger and I on his heels. "Let's come say hello."

"Diesel, this isn't…" Ranger began quietly; stopping at Diesel rang the doorbell.

I waited for someone to yell 'Coming', or footsteps or something, but there was no sound at all. A flash from the window above us caught my eye, but when I looked all I saw was the swinging of a curtain.

"Huh." Diesel knocked on the door, well more like pounded. "Come on, Mags! I know you're home!"

"This can't be happening." Ranger muttered. His face was slack and the unforgiving blank face was gone, leaving a look of terror and awe in its wake.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" A woman's voice rang through the door before it was ripped open.

"Holy shit." Ranger stuttered.

"Mags!" Diesel wrapped the woman in his arms and pulled her tightly to him. "I knew you missed me."

"You are an asshole, D." She ground out, pushing away from him and standing hands on hips to survey Ranger and I. "Who the fuck are these two?"

She was tall, probably close to 5'10 or 11. I would guess her age somewhere between 15 and 40; her eyes said she was closer to 40 but her face and body screamed teenager. Her long brown hair was pulled into twin braids and nearly reached her hips. She had gray blue eyes and pale skin. She wasn't petite, by any means, but wasn't fat. In fact, she looked buff as hell and that she could give both Ranger and Diesel a run for their money. She had on a white tank top, dark brown cargoes and pink fuzzy flippers.

"Why don't we go inside and I can explain." Diesel smiled again, making the woman laugh.

"Alright. Alright." She turned and waved her hand for us to follow. I took a step, noticing once again that Ranger was frozen once again. I yanked his hand more and he shook his head slightly before coming with me. Diesel followed us, closing and securing the door with an insane amount of locks, latches and bars. "Come on up. I'll get some coffee."

"This isn't possible." Ranger growled quietly between tight teeth.

"Anything is possible, man." Diesel shook his head.

There was a small sitting room off to one side and a giant open kitchen and dining room in front of us. The woman, Diesel called her Mags, was standing in the kitchen pouring coffee into mugs. Diesel grabbed the other two and followed her towards the dining table, motioning with his head for us to sit down.

"So…" Mags began once we were seating. "What do you want?"

"Actually, I needed to prove to my friend here. "Diesel pointed at Ranger. "That you were real, and that the possibility of multiple planes of existence existed."

"Shit, Diesel." She shook her head. "I can't be the only person on this plane that you can use to convince people. Those fucking Winchesters that you brought over made my life hell for months."

I snickered, trying to hide it with the coffee that was in front of me. Lucky girl got to play with the Winchesters. I'm going to have to remember that when Diesel tries to butter me up after this mess.

"Well, this one I could have gone to someone else, but I figured with both of your…histories…you wouldn't mind it." Diesel shot her a wink. She looked at Ranger and at me then back at Diesel; this time with her mouth slightly agape. "Yep." He popped the 'P' and sipped his coffee.

"No fucking way!" She smiled and stood, walking over towards Ranger and eyeing him up and down. "Is it really him?"

"Oh Dios, estoy muerta. Mierda . Bebé va a estar tan enojado . Yo sabía que esto era una mala idea. Pendejo de mierda me tiene muerto ." Ranger grumbled, running his hands through his hair. { Oh God, I'm dead. Shit. Babe is gonna be so pissed. I knew that this was a bad idea. Fucking asshole got me killed.}

"Ranger, no están muertos . Él sabe mejor que para lograr que de todas las personas a la puerta de mi casa muerta." She smiled. Ranger chuckled. {Ranger, you are not dead. He knows better than to bring YOU of all people to my doorstep dead.}

"Uhh…" I held up my hand. "Someone wanna clue me in?"

"Sorry." She smiled and took her seat, sipping quickly from her cup. "I'm Maggie Stanton. And you are?"

"Opie Cummings." I put out my hand and she reciprocated. "I can imagine how you know who Ranger is, but Diesel?"

"Diesel…" She looked at him and smiled. "He came to me about a year ago. Told me who he was, which I kind of already knew, and asked me to help him out." She turned to Diesel and tipped her head towards me. "Who's she?"

"She's a local, Mags." Diesel grinned and winked at me. "Remember the girl I told you about?"

"No shit?" She laughed and looked back at me. "This boy cashed in a few favors helping you out. I am just glad that Masters was able to give you the info you needed."

"Who's Masters?" I asked. This shit was weird. It's amazing that people can just run with the chaos that Diesel passes out.

"He's my….boss. For lack of better word." She ran her finger over the top of her coffee cup.  
"He has more connections than anyone I have ever even imagined. Probably more than Batman over here."

"Okay, so how does Ranger know you?" I raised my eyebrow, trying to make the connection.

"There is a man in Ranger's world named Gregory Smitthe. He wrote the series on Mags here. Kind of how Janet write about Ranger and Steph. " He pointed at her and she chuckled. "He and Janet are known as satellites. They aren't Unmentionable, per say, but they are able to catch the waves that people like Stephanie and Mags throw out into the universe."

"I can't believe this." Ranger stood and paced; one hand on his hip the other running through his hair.

"Believe it, Toots." Mags said, standing and heading to the curtains that were hung behind the table. She pulled it back and knocked lightly on the glass. "I can give you any proof that you may need."

Ranger froze as the curtain moved and two huge men stalked into the room, tapping Mags gently on the top of her head with a kiss. It was fascinating to see Ranger's eyes almost bug out of his head at the sight of these two.

"Do you know who these two are?" She pointed at the men, who were now pouring themselves cups of coffee.

Both men were insanely tall; well over six feet and probably closer to seven. They were both huge, muscles bulging and threatening to rip the tan t-shirts that they were wearing at the seams. One man had short thick black hair that was just long enough to wave. His skin was of a light olive complexion, and I could only assume that he was Mediterranean. His eyes a very pale green and were lined with thick black eyelashes. The other man was pale with long dark blonde hair that was braided at the sides and gathered loosely. His eyes were bright blue. When he saw me looking at him, he winked and quirked his mouth into a semi-smile. Damn, they are fine.

"Steele and The Viking." Ranger whispered, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes. "How can this…"

"Jacob Steele." The dark haired man held out his hand to me. I shook it and he went to Ranger, nodding.

"Garret Erikson." The other man said. "Or I guess the Viking. Most people just call me Erik." He took my hand in his and held it longer than necessary. "It's nice to meet you."

"Ranger.." Mags walked up to him and took his hands in hers. "I know that this is freaky and crazy and you probably are thinking that you were drugged or that we are fucking with you. We aren't. This is real. I am real."

"But…"

"I know." She laughed. "The universe is a weird fucking place."

"So…" I interrupted both my gawking of the giant sexy ass men and the weird vibe that was clinging between Mags and Ranger. "Ranger read books about you." She nodded. "Why?"

"Well, probably because of this asshole over here." She motioned towards Diesel who just grinned ear to ear. "We have similar lifestyles. I guess that the books are fairly popular over there within certain circles."

"How can you be…you?" Ranger was still having a hard time grasping the situation. She turned and pulled the back of her t-shirt down just enough for him and I too see the word scrawled across the back of her neck. 'Babe'. Ranger reached out and traced the word with his finger.

"Hmm…that's an interesting twist." I laughed and plopped myself back into my chair.

"I've been Babe since I was a little girl. My grandfather called me that, and it just stuck." She smiled as she explained. "About 10 years ago, after the death of my husband, I was offered a job with a couple of his old buddies. They were involved with bounty hunting, security and repo. I have a way of getting into some pretty weird shit, and I guess that this Gregory guy thought that he could write a book about it."

"Does he know that you are real?" I asked, my eyes wandering back to the two men, who were now leaning up against the counter watching us as they drank their coffee.

"I doubt it." She shrugged. "The way that Diesel explained it to me was that satellites don't really see it as a vision or anything like that. I guess that it's just a pocket of their subconscious that gets the information. What they do with it from there is on them."

"I started reading the books when they first came out. I got them in a box from my family for my birthday." Ranger said, pulling away from Mags and settling back down into his seat. "I had already begun skip tracing and bounty hunting, but I wanted to expand. I was motivated by the books." He laughed and shook his head. "This is fucking unreal."

"Mags." Steele called, his eyes never leaving his cell phone. It must have buzzed or something, but I hadn't heard anything. "You want us to pick up Malloy without you?"

"Actually…" She looked at Ranger, a huge canary eating smile covering her face. "Ranger, how would you like to help me take in a guy."

Ranger stared at her for a solid minute before a huge smile crossed his face. "It's not like I would ever have the opportunity to do it again, would I?"

"Maybe." She winked, pulling to her feet. "I need to get dressed." She motioned to the jeans and t-shirt she was wearing. "I know that you are probably ready to roll, but these two" She pointed at Diesel and I. "Are going to have to wait in the vehicle."

"That's cool with me." Diesel stood and stretched, tipping his head towards the other men. "How you been doing, Steele?" She strolled out of the room and down a hallway.

"You know, man." Steele, the dark haired man, smiled. "Another day, another dollar."

"So…" Diesel leaned to make sure that Mags was out of earshot. "Did you do it yet?"

"No." Steele ground out, swiping a giant hand across his face. "It's complicated."

"Get on it, brother." Erik chuckled out, punching him in the shoulder. "You know that she has been asked out about a dozen times in the past week alone. She isn't going to hold out forever."

"Jesus.." I shook my head. "You two aren't like this jackass and Plum are you?"

"Hey!" Ranger exclaimed. "I'm sitting right here."

"Yeah, and?" I waved my hand. "You had your head so far up your ass that it actually sat back on your shoulders."

"I like this girl." Erik grinned at me and winked making me blush.

"So, Ranger…" Diesel tipped his head towards him. "You believe me now?"

"Shit." Ranger groaned. "This was pretty eye opening."

"Good."

"What are we going to do when we get back?" I asked. "Marco isn't going to just give up, especially if he has Wolf helping him."

"I can bring him back here." Diesel looked up at Steele. "Y'all don't mind holding onto a piece of shit for a while, do you?"

"Nah..we don't mind." Steele pulled out his phone and tapped on it. "The holding cells in the main building were recently renovated so they are empty. I am sure that we can set up something semi-permanent. Is he from this plane or yours?"

"He's from here." I said, pulling out my phone and scrolling through my pictures until I came to his. "This is him. Marcos DeChavez. He's from Baltimore, originally. No job and his family wrote him off years ago."

"Looks like an asshole." Erik chuckled. I nodded. "We can handle him."

"Alright!" Mags shouted as she strolled into the room. She was still wearing the dark brown cargoes but added a tan t-shirt like Steele and Erik were wearing, big steel toed CAT boots, utility belts and a couple holsters strapped with weapons. Her hair was pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck and she looked like some crazy Fuck-You-Up Barbie. I was inspired.

"Looking good, Babe." Steele winked at her and she blushed. I chuckled at the use of 'Babe'.

"What's with you and women and 'Babe'?" I asked Ranger as we stood, following the crowd down the stairs into the garage.

"Coincidence I guess." He winked at me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "It would probably be best that we not mention her to Steph. I mean, she has a real jealous streak and I don't think that interplanetary travel would do well with her psyche."

"You are so whipped." I laughed. He poked me in the side.

"Damn straight I am."

&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8

AUTHOR's NOTE: Okay, so are you fully confused, intrigued or enjoying it? The character that they went to visit is actually the main character in one of my own personal works of fiction. Hopefully the reason behind using her makes sense. If you have any questions, or if it just doesn't make sense, please let me know so that I can come back in and edit it with more information or to clarify.

As always, thank you so much for continuing on this journey with me. Please review!


	11. Chapter 11

We piled into a giant Navy Blue Expedition. Steele and Mags were in the front, Ranger and Diesel were in the center seat and Erik and I took up the back row. I looked behind us and noticed that we were taking up all the available seating.

"Where are you gonna put this guy?" I asked Erik. "I mean, it doesn't look like he would fit."

"Oh, He'll fit alright." Erik winked again at me and I smiled. "We will just have to get creative."

"We have duct tape." Steele said from the front as he pulled onto the interstate a few miles from the house. "If anything we can strap him to the cargo bars on the roof."

Ranger chuckled and shook his head.

"Geeze, man." I poked him in the shoulder and he turned slightly. "These guys are like Mags' own personal Merry Men."

"I don't wear tights." Erik chuckled. "But if you ask nicely I might be willing to negotiate…privately of course."

"Erik!" Mags yelled from the front. "Other head, Brother. Other head."

We sat in relative silence for the next fifteen minutes before getting off the interstate and heading through some pretty rough neighborhoods. There were run-down buildings, mostly boarded up or vandalized to the point of being nothing more than a crack den. The further we drove the worse it got. The streets were littered with staggering men and women, hookers, drug dealers and average people just trying to do their daily grind.

"Looks like Stark Street." Ranger noted looking out the window as a small fist fight broke out on the sidewalk in front of an adult video store. "What's the intel on your man?"

"Thomas Malloy. Age 42." Mags read off a file folder that had been sitting between the front seats. She handed back a picture for us to look at. "Out on fifty large for felony distribution and assault. Multiple priors."

The man looked closer to eighty then forty two. His skin had a sickly gray tinge to it, and his eyes were sunken enough to leave giant purple bags under his eyes. His hair was patchy and gray.

"He doesn't look like he could put up a good fight." I pointed. "Meth?"

"Yep." Erik shook his head. "It's the Snickers of Trumont Boulevard. Easy to get, easy to sell."

"Plus, coming down from it leaves a nasty attitude. Just like hunger." Steele spoke now, pointing off into an alley as we passed it. There were three men, dirty and obviously mal-nourished, huddling together by a dumpster getting high. "I broke up a fight between those guys last week. They have been friends their whole life, but when they ran out they tried to kill each other. They thought the others were holding out."

"That's insane." I whispered to myself.

"Tell me about it. I got stitches to prove it." Steele leaned over and rubbed Mags' head. "This one just bolted from the truck at the light trying to stop them." She swatted away his hand and smacked his shoulder.

"I would have been fine. But you scare people." She crossed her arms across her chest and harrumphed.

"Babe, you are a fucking Amazon." Steele chuckled and poked her side. "A damn sexy ass Amazon, but still not the usual waif like females they have around here."

"Are you saying that I am fat?" she glared at him, but a hint of a smile was on her lips.

"Hmmmm…." Steele puckered his lips in thought and continued to drive for a minute before nonchalantly adding. "Well, you did say that you couldn't fit into that dress the other day."

"Oh fuck you." She smacked him on the back of the head; their laughter filling the cab.

"I can see why you would read books about them." I whispered to Ranger. "She is a lot like Steph."

"Ooooh…" Erik chimed in, leaning into me. "Don't let her hear you say that. She has a thing about that chick. Something about Twilight Syndrome and choosing to fuck a horse instead of a God. It's usually just babble."

Ranger, Diesel and I roared in laughter. That makes perfect sense.

"Alright kids." Steele spoke up, pulling into a side parking lot behind a small family grocery. "We're here. Don't forget to wipe your feet and don't spill blood on the floor."

"He's working in the storeroom." Mags pointed to a metal door twenty feet away. "Steele and Erik, you two roll around to the front while Batman and I push through the back. He won't run too far, or too fast but he may be armed so keep frosty and peeled."

"Do we know how many friendlies are in there?" Ranger was checking his weapons and securing his gear.

"There are no more than ten employees in the store at any given time. Only three in the back. None of them are going to be a problem for us, but if Malloy has some of his friends watching for us it could get complicated. Just keep the blood on the cement and not on the tile. Mr. Jenkins hates to mop up blood and I would like to keep the relationship friendly."

"Roll out." Erik shoved at the seat in front of him. Diesel got out and flipped the seat forward. They all filed out and ran to their respective places and Diesel and I took our seats back in the vehicle.

"Diesel." Mags turned and came back to us. "Pop in the front just in case. I like to have her running warm if we need to hoof it."

"Got it." He pulled himself into the driver's seat and motioned for me to follow him. I slid up in the passenger seat and we watched them.

"Ranger seems to be handling this well." I picked at the hem of my shirt. "I was afraid for a second there that we were going to carry him out."

"Nah." Diesel sighed. "He's a tough guy, but he still has his whimsy."

"Whimsy?" I couldn't hold in the laughter.

"Yeah." He smiled and gave me a quick wink. "I've known him a long time and even after all the dark shit in his life; that scrawny kid from Newark is still shining in him." He chuckled. "You should have seen him, Opie. He was pretty small for his age and skinny as fuck. He was a quiet kid; you know band geek, math whiz. That didn't stop him from standing up for anyone he thought was being bullied. One day, he met this kid who had quite a mouth on him. Not a good thing for a pudgy white kid in that neighborhood."

"You, I assume?" He nodded and I snickered. "You were a pudgy kid?"

He nodded. "Yeah I know, hard to believe looking at me now. I'm sexy as hell." He winked and continued. "I got jumped by a group of kids our age wanting to prove to the older gangs that they could hang. Carlos ran up and took what he could before they overpowered both of us. Instead of running off he just wrapped his arms across my chest and dragged me into a little diner a block away. That in itself wasn't easy; I outweighed him by a good thirty pounds. Those boys continued to beat him as he pulled me away. I thought we were both gonna die, but as you can imagine….he doesn't give up very easily."

"So, what happened after that?" I watched as Ranger and Mags slipped into the metal door.

"We stayed close, but when he moved to Miami I was on my own." He sighed. "You can imagine that it didn't work out well after that. Thankfully, when I turned 14 I found out that I was an Unmentionable. I was shipped out after that and hadn't seen him until we were much older."

"Wonder why Janet never brought that up?"

"Because she's a satellite for Steph, not Ranger." He chuckled. "If she could pick up Ranger's mojo…the books would be WAY more interesting."

I nodded and continued to watch for them to return with Malloy. I can imagine that if Ranger's mind ever became public knowledge the series probably wouldn't be in the fluffy romantic comedy section at the bookstore. Probably pretty hard core porn with a splash of action.

"That was quick." Diesel pointed out the window as Steele and Erik rounded the building with a scraggly man tripping in front of them. Ranger and Mags were right behind them, grinning. "I bet Ranger is disappointed that there wasn't more action."

"Probably." I laughed, pulling myself back into the middle seat and pushing open the door. Erik winked at me before flipping the seat down and tossing the man into the far back. "That didn't take long."

"Never does, Lovely." Erik pushed his giant frame back into the far back seat and secured Malloy.

"Don't let him fool you." Mags said, pushing herself into the front seat that I had just left. "If DumbleDrunk back there had been sober it might have been at least a little bit of fight."

"I need a smoke!" Malloy croaked, smacking his lips and scratching his neck feverishly with his cuffed hand.

"Hold on." Mags slipped her hand into the center console and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. "Steele pop the back so Old Man McMeth here can smoke one more before heading to the Pokey."

"Did you have fun?" I asked as Ranger opened the other back door. He had a smile on his face, which is obviously not a Ranger-like thing to have.

"I did." He winked.

"He scared the crap out of the other workers." Mags slid out the front seat and into the back next to me. "Then he made the poor check girl have a spontaneous orgasm when he smiled and told her to have a nice day."

"He does that sometimes." I laughed. Ranger was rocking back on his heels, hands in his pockets beaming. I think I could see some of that whimsy that Diesel was talking about.

She slipped the cigarette between her lips and lit it, taking a drag and passing it back to Erik who assisted Malloy.

"I can imagine he does." She slipped out, cigarettes still in hand. "You know, if it weren't for the fact that he is head over heels for Plum I would take advantage of him."

I heard Ranger choke out a laugh.

"Don't worry. You are definitely not alone." I watched as she slipped out another cigarette and light it.

"I never knew you smoked." Ranger said, shaking his head.

"Yeah yeah. That shit will kill you, Babe." She mocked him, lowering her voice in a pretty good impression. A deep chuckle rose from Ranger's chest causing me to giggle. Mags just rolled her eyes. "I only smoke when I don't get laid. As you can imagine, being around the Jolly Green Giants here doesn't do much in getting social orgasms. They kind of scare away potential 'O-face' givers."

"You could always ask, Babe." Steele sang. "I have always offered my services. Free of charge."

"Fuck you, Jacob." She smiled, taking another drag of her cigarette. "You are too much drama for me."

"You almost done there Sparky?" Erik asked Malloy, who was whipping his head to and fro keeping up with the banter. He nodded and handed the cigarette nub to Erik who flicked it out the back. "Ready to roll there, Boss?"

"Yeah." She took one last drag before tossing it to the cement and subbing it under her boot. "I have a Video date to get to at five and Deacon hates it when I am late."

We piled into the vehicle and headed towards the STLPD and waited while Steele and Erik signed in Malloy.

"How's Deacon doing?" Diesel asked.

"He's good." Mags smiled and pulled out her phone. She flipped through for a beat before turning it around. On the screen was a picture of a dark haired teenager with freckled skin and deep brown eyes. "That boy is looking more and more like his father every day."

"How tall is he now? The last time I was here he was nose to nose with you."

"Well, he's six two." Mags chuckled and put her phone away. "I'm kind of glad because a sixteen year old college freshman kind of needs to be able to blend in."

"Where did he get in?"

"MIT." The pride in her voice was almost as bright as what was radiating off her face. "It sucks only being able to see him on holidays and long weekends, but he is doing well. He is in the Masters Engineering program and loves it."

"Wow…smart kid." I whistled.

"Yeah, he is." She smiled again and turned to Ranger. "How's Julie doing? I haven't heard about her since Scrog; number twelve I think."

"She's doing good." Ranger shook his head, obviously amused at the number and Scrog reference. "She is 14 now and, unfortunately for her mother, just like me. Although she doesn't seem to get into as much trouble I did, she still has a temper and is quick to defend anyone she feels needs it."

"Sounds like a good girl."

Steele and Erik joined us and we headed back towards the house. Ranger was staring out the window deep in thought and Diesel was leaning his head back with his eyes closed. I knew that our time here was almost done, and in a way I was pretty bummed about it. This was my world, and while I am glad that I have decided to stay in Trenton I still miss the few people that I did know.

We pulled into the garage and I checked my watch. We had only been gone for three hours, but I was sure that Tank and the guys were probably having an aneurism. We probably should have left them a note or something, but with Diesel it's hard to think clearly when he is causing so much chaos.

"We have to get back." I said as we all piled out the vehicle. Ranger and Diesel nodded. "It was really nice meeting you all, and I hope that one day we will get to see each other again."

"We better." Erik winked at me and pulled my hand to his lips. I could feel my face blush as he kissed my hand.

"We'll see at least Diesel when you bring us that Marco guy." Steele shook our hands.

"Diesel." Mags whispered wrapping her arms around him. He pulled her into a hug, whispering something in her ear which made her smile. He set her down and kissed the top of her head. "Opie, It was nice to meet you. I am glad that Diesel was able to get you over in Plumverse."

"It's pretty amazing." I laughed. She pulled me into a light hug, pulling me back keeping her hands on my shoulders.

"I have to ask though…." She bit her bottom lip. "Is Lester really as hot as I imagine he is?"

"What is it with Santos?" Ranger laughed and shook his head. Mags raised an eyebrow at him. "Opie here has Santos eating out of her hand. When I first met her, she said that he was number two."

"Yeah, he is." I laughed, poking Ranger. "He is F-I-N-E and even better naked."

"I am officially jealous." She laughed and pulled out a card. "I'm assuming that Diesel hooked you up with a good phone plan. Call me if you need anything, on either side. One day I want to take a trip to LaLa land and I bet you would make a great guide." I nodded. She leaned closer to me and mock whispered. "And don't hesitate to maybe send me some pictures of those fine Merry Men."

"I will." I pocketed the card. She turned to Ranger, hands on her hips.

"Well, Fantasy man." She began. "It's really good to meet you finally. Maybe one day we will be able to really hang out and get to know one another. I am glad that I was able to help you have a better understanding of where Opie came from." He smiled and pulled her into a hug.

"I am glad I finally got to meet you too….Babe." They both chuckled and separated smiling. "When you come visit, make sure that you stop by. I have a whole team of men that probably would love to meet you."

Mags smiled and cupped her hand on his cheek. Her smile faltered for a moment before she took a deep breath. "If you and Plum ever don't work out…I better be your first call." Ranger nodded. Taking a deep breath Mags continued. "Take care of yourself, Ranger."

"You too, Mags."

She kissed his cheek softly before dropping her hand.

"Alright, we're off." Diesel grabbed my hand and Ranger's. Without hesitation or warning, the pulling feeling into darkness returned. We were going home.

**Author's note: So, hopefully I haven't lost anyone yet. Ranger has some good perspective, plus got to meet his fantasy fandom lady. I kept it light and quick. As you can imagine, Rangeman probably realized they were gone by now. Next chapter….back to Trenton. As always, thanks for reading and please review!**


	12. Chapter 12

***AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, they are returning home after their trip to the "other side". I am sure that there would be more chaos, but honestly I wasn't wanting to waste time explaining that. As always, ENJOY and please REVIEW!***

I felt my body slam into pavement, but laid there a moment to catch my breath. I could hear Ranger groan a few feet away, swearing in Spanish as he stood and worked the kinks out of his body.

"That's a bitch." Ranger chuckled, reaching out a hand to help me up. We were in the Rangeman parking garage. I took his hand and grunted as I got to my feet. We could hear the footsteps echoing off the cement walls as what sounded like an army of Rangeman flooded the space. "I might have to adjust some training for the guys on the monitors. This could really fuck with their heads having people just magically appear out of nowhere."

"Ranger?" Tank's voice sounded concerned, pissed off and even confused as he strolled up to us. The small wave of men in black had stopped when they noticed that it was just us.

"It's all good, Tank." Ranger looked at his watch and shook his head. "Steph?"

"She's been freaking out since we noticed you disappeared." Tank stood hands on hips a few feet away from us. "Is this whole mess because of him?" He tipped his head, motioning to Diesel who was leaning casually against one of the shiny black SUVs tapping away on his phone.

"Yep." I chuckled.

"Figures." Tank pulled out his walkie talkie and pressed the 'talk' button. "All good. It was Diesel. Someone get Bomber unlocked."

"Unlocked?" I could hear the anger boiling up in Ranger's voice.

"Don't even go there, man." Tank waved his hand dismissing Ranger's hostility. "She wanted to run out of here halfcocked thinking she was going to find you. Once she started hyperventilating and threatening to rearrange my balls…I locked her in your office." A huge smile spread across his face. "Pretty sure I heard shit getting thrown against the door, but I am sure it's fine."

"She does have a temper." Diesel butted in, wrapping an arm over my shoulder. "You should see what happens when she wakes up next to you naked….girl has a coronary."

Tank and I chuckled and Ranger just glared.

"Get over it, Batman." I poked him. "You know you are the only one she wants naked in your bed."

"Damn straight." He winked at me and headed towards the elevator. "I have to go make sure that I still have an office left. Why don't you two go down and see what you can get out of our little friend."

"Still in holding, I assume?" I asked Tank. He nodded and we all walked towards the stairs. "Has he sobered up any?" I looked down at my watch, noting that it had only been three hours since we left.

"I dunno." Tank shrugged as we headed down the stairs towards the basement. "He's still sitting in there rambling about some weird ass shit."

"That sounds pretty normal." I pushed through the basement door and strolled down towards the metal door that separated me from the man who ruined my life in the other plane. Les was leaning against the door frame as I approached.

"About time you got back." He smiled, pulled me towards him and kissed me softly. "You were making me worry, Gorgeous."

"Sorry." I leaned into him, taking a deep breath and enjoying the unique smell that is Lester Santos. "He hasn't been giving you any trouble, so that is good."

"Where did ya'll go?" He asked as I pulled up on my tip toes to look into the small window.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." I winked and took a deep breath stepping back away from the door a few feet. "Well, I guess I should get this show on the road." I looked at the men around me. Tank, Diesel and Les were all staring at me, waiting for me to tell them who I wanted to go in with him. "Ya'll wanna do Rock paper Scissors to see who comes with me?"

"Fuck that." Les grabbed my hand. "I'm going in with you. These two can just chill and come in if we need them."

"Opie, see if you can find out why Wolf sent him. Wolf doesn't do shit like this just because, there had to be something in it for him." Diesel spoke low, flicking his eyes to Les. "Make sure that if certain info starts coming from his face that you come back out and get me. Just in case." I nodded and put my hand on the door knob.

"Well, here goes nothing."

I pulled open the door and stalked into the door, jumping slightly as the heavy door slammed behind Les. Marco never moved from his position on the floor. His knees were bent and his arms were tightly wrapped around his shins. His face was pressed into his knees and he was almost vibrating. I could hear his voice quietly mumbling something, but in the position he was it I couldn't make it out.

"Marco." I forced my voice to maintain a firm but normal tone. He stopped moving and slower than made me comfortable he lifted his head and looked at me. "Jesus fuck." I whispered. He had a boot print bruise across his face, a split lip and his left eye was swollen almost shut.

"O." He whispered, sending an icy glare my way. "Who's this? Your new fuck toy?" He tipped his head towards Les and sneered. "Poor fucker."

Les growled and moved to lunge at him, but I put out my hand stopping him.

"Why are you here?"

"You know why I am here, bitch." He slowly unwrapped his arms from around his knees, stretching them and cracking his neck. "You have something that is mine, and I am not going to let you hide it from me."

"The car is mine, Marco." I sighed in frustration.

He took a deep breath, stretched out his legs and began to stand. When he was to his feet he tipped his head to one side and looked at me, sending a shiver down my spine.

"Opie, you know that isn't everything." He had turned now and was facing me, still a little more than six feet away. I could feel Les stiffen next to me. He was on full alert.

"You walked away from our marriage, Marco." I gritted out, irritated that he was trying to intimidate me. "I gave you everything. The car is mine."

"You took it without me knowing. You know I would come after it." His face twisted into a sickening smile. It was a look that I learned later on in our marriage. Gone was the handsome face and soft romantic eyes that I fell in love with years before.

"What are you on?" My voice cracked, showing the fear that he brought out in me. I closed my eyes for a second, chastising myself for showing it to him.

"Give it to me and I will show you." He took a step toward us. Les immediately stepped in front of me and wrapped his arm around his back to hold me close. This just caused Marco to laugh; a creepy sinister sound from deep in his chest. "Still can't fight your own battles? I'm disappointed."

"Fuck you." I pushed at Les' arm to get around him, but he held me fast.

"It's not the car you want, is it?" Les gritted out through clenched jaw. Marco smiled and slowly clapped his hands.

"Bravo." He squared his shoulders and placed his hands on his hips. He was such a large man; a good six inches taller than Les and probably a good hundred pounds of chemically induced muscle more. "More than just a pretty face. Good to know, Opie."

"It's in the car." Les spoke clearly, not letting the emotion that I knew was swirling within in him show.

"Got it in one." Marco took another step forward coming up to the metal table in the center of the room. I could feel Les' already tense stance tighten further. "I'm wondering what exactly you are giving this man to keep you around. I mean, it's not like you can fuck worth a shit." His laughter echoed off the walls, this time it was less maniacal and more entertainment. "But…you were always good with that mouth of yours. Gotta say I miss you gagging on my cock."

"Watch it, Asshole." Les growled, hand on his gun. "Talk about her like that again and we won't need to know what you want."

"Oooooh." He raised his hands and wagged them in sarcastic fear. 'Fuck off. You don't even know who or what you are fucking with. Why don't you go back to waxing your balls and let me talk to my wife alone."

"Marco." I stepped to the left of Les, out of the reach of his arm that was wound around behind me. "If you sit down and behave; you and I can talk. But don't bait my friends. I am not going to stop them from killing you."

"Whatever." He took a step to the side and plopped down on the metal chair, motioning for me to take the seat across from him. "Sit. Stop hiding behind your friend." He snarled out the word friend.

"I'm not leaving you in here." Les' eyes never left Marco.

"I don't expect you to." I took a step towards the table and stood behind the chair opposite of him. Les took up next to me.

"You are looking pretty good." Marco whistled and turned his head so that he could see my ass. "You been working out?"

"What do you want?" I pushed myself into the chair and crossed my arms over my chest. "You wanna talk to me…talk."

"You know, when I first met you I thought that I could spend at least a large chunk of my life with you." He began, spreading his hands out on the table. I could see the tan line on his ring finger and was pretty surprised. He never seemed to want to wear his ring while we were married. He looked at me and smiled, this time not scary but odd just the same. "You were hot as hell. Funny and always took care of what needed to be done."

"This is a lovely trip through memory lane, but it's not necessary." I shook my head and leaned forward, putting my hands on the edge of the table. "What do you want, Marco?"

"I need what's in the car." He shrugged. "I need you to come with me to retrieve it, and I need you to come back with me so that it will work."

"That isn't going to happen." Les interrupted, his tone cold.

"Oh yeah it is." Marco never took his eyes off of mine. "She has to come with me. She knows she does."

"No I don't." I slapped my hand on the table, my anger bubbling over. Before my hand could go back to where it was, Marco had reached forward and gripped my wrist. Les launched forward and pulled against the grip that was on my wrist. "Let me go!"

"Look at it!" Marco growled, his eyes staring at the hold that he had on me. I gasped and Les stopped pulling, staring at the small spot on my hand near Marco's thumb. "You see?"

"What did you do?" I whispered, leaning down and looking closer. At the knuckle of both of our thumbs was a small circle. A circle that was currently glowing.

"I made a deal." He spoke softly which surprised me. I looked up at him. His face was twisted in anger and frustration and fear. "I need the stone, Opie."

"What stone?" I was finally aware that he was still holding tightly onto my wrist and I began twisting trying to get out of his grasp. "Please, Marco…let me go."

"You need to listen to me." Marco pulled me towards him. The movement jolted Les out of his stupor. He launched himself at him, putting Marco into a headlock. He struggled for a moment, but I could see the fight dying in his eyes as the lack of oxygen was taking effect on his body. "You have to." He mostly mouthed before his grip and his body went slack.

"DIESEL!" I screamed, launching out of my chair and rubbing my wrist. The door slammed open. Les tossed Marco back into the corner and had me wrapped in his arms before Diesel could reach me. "He is looking for a stone. Do you think…"

"Shit." Diesel ran his hand through his hair and turned back to Marco. He stood over his limp body, hands on his hips and nudged him gently with his boot. "It can't be one of my stones, but those are just the primary ones. I don't know if there are minor stones, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were."

"It's in my car." I said, face pressed into Les' chest. I could feel my whole body shaking in shock over the encounter. "He wasn't always like this, you know." I finally said, tipping my head towards Les. "Something happened, but I don't know what."

"I need to have Lizzy come in." Diesel pressed his phone to his ear. "Maybe she can sense them."

I heard the other line pick up on Diesel's phone as he walked out into the hallway.

"I can't believe you were married to him." Les spoke, running his hands over my back and through my hair. I looked up at him and shook my head. "I mean, I can see why he would want to marry you. You're perfect. Beautiful, funny, smart, courageous, loyal… it's endless. But the other things he said. They are so far from the truth."

"Thanks." I reached up and kissed his lips softly, rubbing his cheek with my thumb. "There is a lot that happened in our marriage that caused the bitterness, and I am sure that there was some time when I wasn't the best wife."

"I don't believe you." He smiled, his eyes darkening.

"You are looking through rose-colored glasses, Mr. Santos." I giggled, twisting out of his embrace and leading him out into the hallway. Tank and Diesel were standing side by side with hands on hips. "So, what do we do now?"

"I'll pick her up in a couple hours. She has cupcakes to make and I was told that if I took her away before they were done I would be wearing my balls as earrings." He smirked. "Not a good look for me."

"Ouch." Les tucked me under his arm. "Should we search the car?"

"You can try?" Diesel ran his hand through his hair. "If it's anything like the stones I have been searching for, you probably won't even notice that it's there."

"Well, isn't that convenient." I shook my head. "How do you think Marco was going to get it? Why did he think that I would need to get it with him or that I would have to go back with him? And what was up with the glowing circle thing?"

"Well…" Diesel shook his head. "I am assuming that he is attached to the stone. Why he would need you to get it could be from a variety of things. Most stones are hidden as normal everyday objects, and if it was something that the two of you have equal ownership of it may only respond when the two of you are together. As for the circles…I'm not sure. I am having my assistant look into it. I'm pretty sure that I have heard of something similar, but I won't know exactly what it is from until I hear back from him."

"Lovely."

"Let's go and talk to Ranger." Tank finally spoke. "I'll have someone watch him, and let us know when he is awake. Maybe we can get him to talk."

"It's worth a shot." I began walking towards the elevator, suddenly to drained to walk up the six flights of stairs. "Who's coming down?"

"Hector." Tank grinned and I shook my head chuckling. Hector is scary; more so than the majority of the Merry Men. Even though I know him as an absolute teddy bear, he has a very intimidating exterior. The elevator door opened, revealing the man himself.

Hector strode out, pulling me into his arms and pressing kisses to my cheeks.

"Bella." He whispered. "You need to stop freaking me out."

"Sorry, Love Muffin." I smiled as he pulled back, cupping my face in his hands. He searched my eyes.

"I will try not to kill him." Hector winked. "But I can't guarantee that he won't be without….appendages when you return."

"Trust me, any…appendage you are thinking of removing are way too small to worry about." He kissed my nose and patted my bottom as I went back to Les.

The guys were holding the elevator for me, so I walked in; the doors closing instantly. When they opened again, the fifth floor was buzzing with the normal sounds of Rangeman activity. Except for the quiet whimpering sound.

"Fuck." Tank laughed and shook his head. "Can't leave them alone for five minutes."

"Serious?" Diesel smiled and ran quietly to Ranger's closed office door. He pressed his ear against the door. I giggled as his face morphed from one of surprise to mischief. I walked to him and smacked him on the shoulder.

"You perv." I whispered. "Let them be."

"Dude….Dude…." He whispered his voice in awe. He pressed his ear tighter against the door. "That's fucking hot. I'm totally sporting some champ wood."

"Nice to know." I face palmed. "You need to get laid."

"You offering?"

"Nope." I winked. "I've seen the equipment."

"Oh that is just cruel." He stood, removing his ear from the door. "You weren't complaining when you saw it."

"I'm polite." I winked again and smiled; biting my bottom lip.

"You minx." He picked me up and flipped me over his shoulder before banging on the door. "FINISH UP MANOSO! We got shit to do!"

The whole office went silent; a ripple of terror going through the Merry men on the floor. Tank was doubled over in silent laughter and Les stood hands on hips laughing quietly.

I could hear growling and a small shriek before heavy footsteps headed towards the door and stopped.

"Oh come on….I know it can't take you THAT long." Diesel smacked my ass and I yelped.

The door whipped open, revealing a half-naked but very pissed off Ranger. Steph was scrambling behind his desk with her boots, blushing beet red.

"Excuse me." Diesel pushed past Ranger, who was shaking his head at this point. "I'd ask you how you're doing Steph, but I heard."

"You are such an asshole!" Steph shrieked. I can only imagine what her face looked like after that comment, as I was still face to ass with Diesel.

I sighed, pushing off his as with both hands to try to see what was going on. My hair was in my way, and all I could see where shoes and the floor. Another smack sounded and I yelped as once again Diesel 's hand connected with my ass.

"Fucker." I ground out, pinching his ass.

"Foreplay…I like it." He pinched my ass in return.

"Put her down." Les called out, still in the main monitor room.

I saw Ranger's pristine black boots come into view. Once again I tried to push away from Diesel's ass, but I still couldn't see anything. Large Mocha hands pushed my hair away, revealing Ranger's quirked almost smile.

"News?" He asked.

"Uhhh…." Blood was still rushing towards my face. "Yea?"

"Put her down, Diesel." Ranger smacked my ass lightly.

"Ranger!?" Steph gasped before breaking into giggles.

"Sorry, Babe… couldn't help it."

I was tipped back over Diesel's shoulder and held onto as I waivered slightly on my feet.

"You smacked my ass?" I asked Ranger, pointing a finger at him as he slipped his black t-shirt over his head. "You are just as bad as this guy?" I thumbed Diesel who was smiling ear to ear nodding.

"What did you find out?" Ranger shook his head and sat in the large leather chair behind his desk, pulling Steph into his lap. I smiled noticing the mess of objects strewn about the room; obvious victims of Steph's temper tantrum.

"Is it safe to come in?" Les called. "I don't need to see my cousin fucking Beautiful….again."

"Fuck you, Santos!" Ranger yelled, tossing a cube of post-it's out the door at him. It bounced off his chest and landed with a thud on the floor. "Get in here."

"Well, he is here for something." I watched as Les walked in and took a seat in one of the large leather chairs across from the desk. I slid into his lap and continued. "We suspect that it's in the car somewhere, but according to Diesel we won't be able to see it."

"Explain?"

"I believe that it's a stone similar to the Saligia stones that I am currently searching for." Diesel began, pushing into the other leather chair, leaving Tank standing alone between us. "The primary stones are incredibly powerful, but I am not aware of how much power the minor stones have."

"He claims that he and Opie could remove them, but that they would have to do that together. Then, he plans on returning he back to where he was when he has them." Les added, wrapping his arm around me and curling his hand in mine.

"That isn't going to happen." Ranger shook his head. "How do we find the stone then?"

"I am going to pick up my partner, Lizzie. She's currently in Salem and has the ability to locate the primary stones. I am hoping that the minor stones will also be detectable the same way."

"What are we going to do until she finds the stone?" Steph asked, lazily running her fingertips over Ranger's knuckles on her lap.

"We wait it out." I sighed. "There isn't anything we can really do until we know what we are looking for. Worse comes to worse I can look for it with Marco."

"Can't risk that." Les squeezed my hand. "You didn't see the way he was looking at her. He needs Opie to get to this thing. He acts like it's his next fix, and with that much hostility I don't trust that he won't hurt her." He was speaking to the room, but was staring at me the whole time.

"Did he have any obsessions?" Diesel asked, tapping casually on his phone. "Anything that came on rather suddenly and without reason that you could see?"

I stiffened. I really didn't know if I was comfortable talking about this so openly. I am far from a prude, but there was a lot of shame and regret on a personal level attached to it. Les must have noticed my tensing and began slowly rubbing my back.

"Close the door, Tank." Les said. Tank looked at Les for a moment before closing the door and taking a seat in another chair. "What did he do?"

"I don't…." My throat suddenly felt so dry and my voice so weak. I cleared my throat. "It's hard to…" Once again my voice faded off, almost on its own accord.

"How's this.." Diesel began. "How about I name off one of the seven stones and you tell me which one it would be under?"

I nodded and shifted slightly in Les' lap.

"Pride?"

"He's always been a proud man, but it wasn't ever something really big." I whispered, taking a deep breath.

"Envy?"

"No. I gave him everything he ever asked for. I don't think he had time to be envious." I could feel my cheeks reddening. It shouldn't be embarrassing to admit that I spoiled my husband, but thinking about how much I really did for him made me feel even more used.

"Gluttony?"

"No." I laughed. "That man has more control than Batman over there."

"Anger?"

"Not until after."

"Lust?"

I couldn't speak. I just looked at Diesel and he nodded.

"I am assuming it was of the flesh?" He spoke quietly, reaching out and touching my arm. I nodded and sniffed back tears that I knew were trying to fall. "It wasn't just you, was it?" I shook my head and began picking at a non-existent string on the leather.

"Bastard." Steph's voice was raspy with unshed tears. She sniffed loudly and wiped at her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Opie."

"It's fine." I took a deep breath and sniffed again. "I'm fine. It's over."

I could practically feel the thoughts swirling around in Les' head. I can't imagine what he was thinking. He probably thought that I was into all sorts of crazy shit. Honestly, I wasn't worried that he would think less of me; come on this is Lester Santos we are talking about.

"The stone will be a shade of blue. Maybe in the shape of a cow or have something to do with those two things." Diesel slipped his phone into his pocket. "I'm going to start to go over the car before I head over to get Lizzie. She hopefully will find it pretty easily." He stood and looked at me. "How long?"

"Four years." I whispered. "After the baby….I couldn't. Not anymore."

He leaned down and kissed my forehead, his hand securely cupping the back of my head. Without losing his grip, he tipped my head and pressed his forehead against mine. I closed my eyes and listened as he took a few deep breaths; his sweet warm breath calming me.

"I'm sorry I didn't get to you sooner." He whispered before kissing me once again and walking out of the room.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, everyone seemingly lost in thought. Lizzie had to find that stone and then Marco will be gone. Hopefully forever. I cuddled deep into Lester's lap; tucking my face in the crook of his neck and wrapping my arm around him. He reciprocated and peppered my skin with soft featherlike kisses; whispering loving words in Spanish.


	13. Chapter 13

Welcome back…hope you are enjoying this little diddy so far. I hope that you enjoy this chapter, and please PLEASE (I'm begging) review! Feedback is important and helps keep my creative juices flowing freely.

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We were sitting in the break room on the fifth floor as Lizzie and Diesel were going over my car. I felt somewhat violated, but I knew that they were the only ones who would be able to find the stone and get Marco out of my life for good this time.

Cal, Ram, Bobby, Lester and I were sitting around the large Formica table playing cards, trying desperately to keep my mind off of what was going on.

"Three?" Cal asked, waggling his eyebrows at me.

"Go fish." I grumbled resting my chin on my hand.

"Well fuck." He growled, pulling a card from the swarm of cards lying face down on the table. He eyed the card and then let out a yelp of excitement. "Suck on that!" He slapped down a pair of threes and stood doing what I can only assume was some sort of victory dance.

"Tell me why we are playing Go Fish?" Bobby said, gathering the cards together and shuffling them.

"Because the last time we played poker we got in trouble." I mumbled, thumping my head down on the table.

"That's because everyone but you was naked and broke." Les poked my side and ruffled my hair, which was getting more and more tangled as the day went on.

"Not my fault ya'll suck." My voice was muffled by the massive amounts of hair surrounding me while I was still face planting the table top. "How long do you think it will be before they are done down there?"

"I dunno." Les gathered my hair up at the back of my head and gently pulled my head off the table. Peaking down he looked at my face and smiled. "It shouldn't be too much longer. It's not like the car is that terribly big."

"Has Marco woken up yet?" I fully lifted my head, pushing back the stray curls that were plastered to my face. "I can't imagine him being out this long."

"I can go check on him again if you want." Bobby had gone down shortly after we left Ranger's office to make sure that he wasn't injured too badly. "There really isn't a reason for him to still be sleeping. He suffered no major injuries."

"I bet he's faking it." Ram stretched his arms over his head. "We could head down the range and shoot the shit?"

"Is that your only form of entertainment, dude?" Cal chuckled, standing and heading towards the fridge. He pulled out five bottles of water, tossing them to us before coming to sit back down.

"I like guns." Ram sheepishly replied, opening the water and downing half of it in one gulp. "The only other hobby that I would like to partake in doesn't really have any willing participants at the moment. Unless you would like to help me with that, Opie?"

"Fuck off." I laughed, tossing the lid of my water bottle at him. He ducked it, of course, and countered by spraying me with water. I sighed; my water bottle still in hand; a scowl pinching my face. "Ram, this is the only time in your life that you will ever have gotten me wet. Enjoy it."

"OOOOOhhhh." The other men hissed as I stood and walked over to Ram. He was smiling and shaking his head.

"That cuts deep." Ram whimpered playfully, brushing a fake tear from his eye. I rubbed his hair and leaned down to kiss his cheek.

"Truth hurts, Baby." I whispered, before quickly opening the back of his shirt and dumping my water bottle down his back. "Oops."

He roared and flew to his feet as the ice water soaked his entire back side.

"Shit." I squeaked, bolting from the breakroom giggling as I wove in between desks. Hal was sitting at his desk when I grabbed the back of his chair. Ram, who gave chase, was now standing on the other side of a now confused Hal. "Save me, Hal!" I screeched, whipping his chair around so that he was facing Ram. Water was pooling under his feet, but he had a huge grin across his face.

"Hal can't save you now, Precious." He laughed and lunged toward me. I countered slipping down under Hal's desk and pulling the Hal, on the rolling chair, towards me. Hal was laughing at this point peeking down under his desk.

"You know," He began, holding tight to the desk as Ram pulled at the back of his chair. "I can't say I never thought about you under my desk, but it wasn't quite like this."

I pinched his shin lightly, and wound my legs around his ankles; keeping him firmly in his seat and up against his desk. It was a tiny space and I was smashed up against the metal backing with Hal's knees cupping my face. I slapped Ram's hands as they reached in to get me.

"Go away!" I shouted, my laughter echoing off the small space. "No one is home!"

Suddenly the entire desk was lifted and a set of arms wrapped around me from behind pulling me away from Hal's legs. Cal and Bobby had either side of Hal's desk; their hands far over their head.

"Gotcha!" Les whispered in my ear.

"Traitor." I giggled, slipping from his grasp and twisting around so that I was straddling his chest; his arms tucked at his sides. I knew that he could get out of it if he tried.

"Shit." Les' eyes got big and I turned to see what he was looking at. Before I could process ice cold water poured over me, drenching not only me but Les beneath me.

"Oops." Ram chuckled, tossing the bucket to the side and taking out his phone. He snapped some pictures as Les and I giggled. This was why I loved it here.

"What the hell?" Tank shouted. The elevator had just arrived on the fifth floor and Tank got to witness the soaking. "Put the damned desk down!" He pointed at Bobby and Cal who quickly lowered the desk back down. Hal scooted quickly back into place and busied himself with whatever he was doing before I interrupted him. Tank strolled over to Les and I, stopping just short of the puddle that was surrounding us. "Should I even ask?"

"She started it!" Ram whined, winking at me.

"At least I didn't need backup." I grumbled, poking Les in the chest. Before I could act, he had slipped his elbows under my knees and stood. I scrambled, wrapping my arms around his head. "Jesus..put me down!"

"Hey, I gotta remember this for later." Les whispered and winked at me. I groaned noticing that my crotch was about six inches away from his face. If he lifted his arms enough….well, I'm sure that you get the idea.

"Santos." Tank groaned and slid his hand down his face. "Put her down."

"Later." Les winked again and slowly slid me down his body until my feet touched the ground.

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Sorry to interrupt, but I thought that this story needed some fluffy stuff. Now, back to the plot.

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"Diesel hasn't found anything yet." Tank said, stepping over the puddle and towards Ranger's office. "I need you see if you can get your ex to talk. If he can tell us where he hid it, it might move a little faster."

"He's not awake yet." Bobby added. "He might be faking it. Taking a fucking snooze. I don't know, but there's no reason for him to be unconscious, unless there is something medically wrong with him that isn't related to his current injuries."

"Bobby, you and Opie go down and get him to talk." Tank put his hand on Ranger's door, knocking once. "Do whatever you have to do." Tank disappeared into Ranger's office shutting the door behind him.

"I need to change." I took a few steps in place, noticing the water squishing out of my shoes. I heard Ram and Cal giggle. I flicked them off and headed towards the elevators with Bobby at my heels.

"I took a sample of his blood while he was out." Bobby pressed the button for the fourth floor. "He's positive for a bunch of shit; opiates, steroids, hormones. His serotonin levels are incredibly low, but he has so much adrenaline that I am surprised that his heart hasn't exploded."

"Doesn't surprise me."

The doors opened and we headed towards my apartment, stopping long enough to unlock the door.

"There is something else." He followed me into my apartment, stopping to lean against my bedroom door.

"What's that?" I walked into my closet and pulled out some dry clothes; jeans and a soft green t-shirt.

"I don't know." I could hear him sigh. "It seems to be a protein that is attaching to his lymphocyte within his blood. I have a friend of mine who works at the CDC looking into it for me. It doesn't seem to be infectious, but I want to make sure that we take some extra precautions just in case."

"It's been a while since I took physical science, but isn't that what bumps up the immune system." I slipped out of the closet and slipped on new socks and dry shoes.

"Kind of." He sighed. "They release antibodies and signal the immune system to fight against an antigen. I haven't seen anomalies like this. It almost looks like leukemia, but not with this kind of protein."

I sat down on my bed and took a deep breath. Marco wasn't my favorite person, and while I wouldn't mind seeing his face bashed into the cement I would never wish illness on him. He used to be an amazing man, and regardless of who he is now; he's still that man deep down inside.

"It's not cancer?" My voice was soft.

"I don't think so." Bobby sat down next to me and pulled my hand into his. "His white blood cell count is good and I can't see anything that would show that he does. I am hoping that a second pair of eyes will be able to tell me what I am just not seeing. It looks like some weird mutation of Mad Cow and Rabies, but it seems somewhat dormant."

We sat for a moment in silence. There were so many things swirling around in my brain and I wasn't sure how to process any of them.

"Let's go talk to him." I stood and pulled Bobby to his feet. Well, I tugged on his arm lightly and he stood. "Maybe we could use that information to help encourage him to talk. He's very health conscious and I know him enough to know that a threat on his livelihood would not sit well with him."

"I can't lie to him, Opie. I took an oath." I nodded, knowing that I would never ask him to.

We walked out of my apartment and headed towards the basement. Hector was still standing sigil in front of the door when we walked up. He tilted his head towards Bobby and pulled me into a hug.

"Hasn't moved an inch." He pulled me tightly against him, kissing the top of my head. "Are you going to need to me come in as well?"

"Nah." I kissed his cheek and pulled softly out his arms. "I would like to go in alone for a few minutes."

"I can't do that." Hector's body tensed.

"How about you move him to the chair, secure him and then I can talk to him standing on the other side of the table?" I watched as Hector and Bobby exchanged a look.

"Fine, but if I see him even twitch in you direction I'm coming in." Hector crossed his arms over his chest.

"I wouldn't expect anything less than that." Smiling I squeezed his shoulder. "Let's get Sleepy Head up and in his chair."

The guys strolled in and hauled Marco to his feet. His eyes immediately popped open and he began to thrash; attempting to get out of their grip.

"Knock it off, Marco." I growled. He stopped and lifted his face; looking into my eyes. I couldn't suppress the shudder that ran through my body. He smiled a big toothy grin and winked at me. He knew he still scared the hell out of me. I blew out a ragged breath, hoping to release the tension that was coiling my body tight.

"You have some interesting new friends." He laughed as Hector and Bobby slammed him to the metal chair; zip tying his hands to the arms and his legs to the legs of the chair. "They seem….friendly."

"You need to start talking." I crossed my arms over my chest, nodding at Bobby and Hector as they left the room. I watched as Marco's face split into a nefarious grin as they left.

"Friendly, but not smart." He shook his head and chuckled. "Leaving you here alone…with me? Maybe they don't like you as much as you think they do."

"Marco." His laughter stopped as my voice bounced around the room. "Tell me where it is."

"You think that I am going to just let you take it for yourself?"

"Yes. Yes I do."

"You disappoint me." He pulled at the zip ties binding his hands.

"Where is it?" I took a small step towards him, keeping the table between us. "You're not going to get out of here with it, so if you want to leave here breathing you will tell me where it is."

His laughter filled the room again, sending another chill through my body. This time I was able to suppress the full body shudder. He kicked his feet forward, the chains clanking loudly as they caught.

"Take this shit off of me. I feel like fucking Hannibal Lector." He flicked his wrists forward. "I am not going to talk to you about anything like this."

"Not going to happen." I shook my head and stood my ground. "You are NOT in charge here. I am."

"You are not in charge of shit."

"When it comes to you…I am." I took a step towards him sidestepping the table.

"You've gotten pretty cocky over the past year." He leered at me.

I crossed my arms over my chest and stood feet shoulder width apart. He stared at me, his lips quirked mischievously.

"Fine." I shifted, hands on hips. "Why don't you tell me how you got here to begin with?"

"Why don't you just get these fucking things off me and we can get the stone and leave?" He countered, his tone never wavering.

"Not going to happen." I shook my head.

His breathing began to quicken, his eyes tightening. He was so quick to anger and maybe I could get him so mad that he would tell me what I need to know without meaning to.

"You know…" I dropped my arms and strolled around behind him, tapping the top of his head with my index finger. "You seem to be pretty upset with me leaving. Are you starting to regret fucking up?"

"You wish." He growled, turning his head to follow my movements. I stopped, standing directly behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. I could feel his muscles tensing up. "The only thing I was upset about what you taking my fucking car."

"You know that the car is mine." I laughed, curling his hair around my finger. "I'm just wondering why you felt the need to share those rather intimate pictures with me. You know that they didn't make me jealous. I remember you in bed. If anything, I pitied whatever female was subject to your pathetic attempt to make me jealous. It didn't work."

"You never complained." His chest heaved. "I bet it ate you up inside knowing that you were replaced."

"Oh, it didn't bother me at all." I leaned down and gripped his hair, forcefully tipping his head back to look at me. "I am just disappointed that I put up with you as long as I had. Now that I know what a good fuck is like…"

He growled and pulled at the restraints. I laughed, curing his hair back around my fingers keeping his head tilt in an uncomfortable position.

"Have you seen the men around here?" I smiled, watching his face constrict in fury. "Not only are they way better looking than you; amazing perfect bodies with not an ounce of fat on them. They are well equipped."

"I knew you were always a whore." He spat, his control beginning to snap.

"Oh, I didn't sleep with them all." I released his head and stood in front of him. "I could if I wanted to, but unlike you…I don't fuck just anything."

"You don't fuck anything at all, bitch!" He yelled, once again pulling against his restraints.

"No. I just didn't fuck you." I laughed, sliding up and sitting on the edge of the table. "Why would I fuck you? You're disgusting and can't pleasure a woman if you're life depended on it."

He roared, pushing against his restraints. I jumped slightly as a crack sounded in the room. I glanced at the restraints before I continued.

"So angry." I laughed, trying to cover the panic that was slowly growing within me. "Why don't you just tell me what I want to know, before I really start to hurt your feelings?"

I slid off the table and walked back to my position behind the table. He was breathing heavily, glaring at me. I stole a glance at the small window in the door and smiled quickly at Hector who was watching.

"Your temper tantrums are boring me, Marco." I sighed, slipping into the chair across from him. "Let's just finish this so we can both go back to whatever we were doing before you showed up."

"Give me the car, and I will go."

"You aren't taking the car." I ran a hand over my face. "Stop being a child."

"They won't find it." He smirked. "The longer it's here the more you will want to just agree with my demands."

"That isn't likely."

"Oh it is." He cracked his neck, the sound sickening. "You don't have any idea what it is, and I'm sure by the time you figure it out it will be too late."

"Then explain to me why I should agree to this, instead of just spouting off threats and nonsense."

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. I glanced over at Hector who raised an eyebrow. I shook my head slightly, telling him that I was okay. After a few minutes of awkward silence, he finally opened his eyes and looked at me.

He mumbled something under his breath, so quiet that I couldn't hear.

"Use your big boy voice, Marco."

He continued to speak so quietly that I couldn't hear anything but a faint murmur. I stood, sighing in exasperation and bent at the waist in front of him. He was still mumbling but I still couldn't tell what he was saying.

"Always were too curious." His words were quiet but very clear. Before I could react, he had whipped his arms forward, the ties snapping, wrapping around me. I screamed as he pulled me against him. Hector burst through the doors but stopped as he came close to me. "He isn't going to pull you away now, Darling." Marco purred in my ear. I felt something cold press into the side of my neck where one hand was pressing me into him. Where the hell did he get a knife?

"You aren't getting out of here alive." I whimpered as he crushed me tighter against him. A deep rumble sounded through his chest as he laughed.

"Oh, I think I am." He stood, pulling me up so that only the tips of my toes were touching the ground. "I think that walking out of here will be easy."

"Don't fucking think so." Hector growled, his weapon pointing directly at Marco's head. "Unless you want a new hole in your head you'll let her go and pray she isn't hurt."

"Why don't you go scamper back to your other little friends while I talk to my WIFE." Marco pressed the blade against my neck. I whimpered as it broke the skin.

I could hear footsteps rushing down the hallway.

"That's not going to happen." Hector sneered. Les burst through the doorway and screeched to a stop next to Hector, gun drawn.

"Opie, it's okay." Les spoke softly, his hands raised. "Why don't you just let her go, and we can talk about getting you out of here? How does that sound, man?"

"Les.." I began to speak, but stopped hissing as the knife once again cut into the sensitive skin of my neck.

"Close the door and walk away." Marco growled, crushing me so hard against his body that I could feel my bones scream against the pressure. Les and Hector exchanged a sideways glance and shook their heads.

"The only way I will walk out of this room is with her." Les snarled inching forward. "It doesn't matter to me if you are alive or dead after that."

"If you want to know why I'm here and who sent me you won't be so hasty." I could feel Marco's breath hot against my skin. He nuzzled my hair and licked the shell of my ear. "You smell good." He whispered, grinding his hips against my ass.

"Let her go." Les' eyes were black, his body rigid. "I don't give a shit who sent you, or why you are here."

"You would….if you knew." Marco inched us toward the table, putting it between us. "Now, leave. Close the door and walk away. When we are done talking, she and I will walk out. And trust me when I say that she will be doing it willingly."

"It's okay." I whispered, looking Les in the eyes. He shook his head and scowled.

"I'm not leaving you in here with him." His voice sent a shiver down my spine.

"Do it…" Marco drug the blade down and jabbed it into the flesh near my collar bone. I whimpered, grinding my teeth against the pain. Pressing the knife once again against my corritid artery he growled. "NOW!"

"Please." I whimpered, the pain radiating from my collar bone.

"Opie.." Les began, his body fighting with his mind. I could tell he just wanted to shoot and drag me out of there.

"I won't hurt her if you leave. If you stay, she won't be breathing by the time you fire." Marco was right. The way that I was positioned and where we were standing gave them no real shot. I was pressed tightly against him, all the kill zones covered.

"Fine." Hector said after a minute. He lowered his weapon and reached for Les.

"I can't leave her in here." He growled, his gun hand shaking; the anger rolling off of him in waves.

"Les…" I could feel the tears rolling down my cheeks. I plead with him with my eyes, hoping that he would understand. With a growl he lowered his weapon and backed towards the door. Before he closed it, he sent me a look that made my insides warm.

"Now." Marco loosened his grip as the door closed. "Move the chair under the door and secure it."

I fell to the floor as he released me. Without even standing I grabbed the chair and drug it towards the door, pushing it under the handle. I stood, looking through the glass and mouthing 'I'm sorry' to Les who was looking in.

"Cover the window." Marco snarled, causing me to jump slightly. I lifted my hand and pulled the small privacy shade over the glass. The terror in Les' eyes made my chest constrict. "Come here."

"Tell me." I said before turning, taking a moment to calm my nerves before looking into his eyes.

He quickly closed the distance between us and grabbed my chin painfully lifting it so I was looking at him. I winced, which brought his attention to where he had stabbed me. Shaking his head he reached down with both hands and ripped my shirt down the center before pressing it to the wound. I shivered, trying to cover myself.

"I've seen it before." He shook his head and without releasing pressure, pushed me towards the table. He lifted me from my waist and set me on it.

"Tell me." I ground out again.

"I was approached by a man shortly after you left." He began, trailing a finger down my bra strap. "He offered me something that I couldn't refuse." I shivered as his finger kept its path down my chest. "He just didn't tell me that there were…..circumstances that I needed to maintain."

"What type of circumstances?" I bit down on my bottom lip desperately trying to stop it from quivering. Marco terrified me, and he knew it.

"You." His hand stopped it's assult on my breasts and tipped my chin up to look at him. "I needed to keep you close and away from here."

"Why me?" I tried to lean away from his hand, but he just secured me with the other; dropping my blood soaked shirt in the process.

"Because he is a sadistic son of a bitch." He chuckled deep in his chest, the amusement never quite reaching his eyes. "It's not really a stone. It's more of an essence, or at least that is what he described it as."

"What does it do?"

"It lets me do whatever I want." This time his eyes filled with the emotion that it was void of a few moments ago. "I started a business and it was thriving. Clients were pounding on my door to accept them; throwing insane amounts of money at me." He leaned forward, pressing himself against me. "Women, too. Even though that has never been an issue." He smirked. "But now I could have any woman, even if they didn't want me at first. It helped them….realize that they really did."

"That's sick." My throat burned with bile. The thought of him having this sick power over women sickened me.

"They love it." He purred, pressing me towards him. I pressed at his chest with my arms but he didn't budge.

"When I left.."

"Everything went to shit." He growled, nipping at the apex of my neck. I could feel his muscles tense as he tightened his grip on me. "My business started slipping. Clients were becoming agitated and complaints were being filed. Women were threatening me with legal action." He groaned, grinding his erection on me. "You really smell good, O."

"Why did I have it?" My brain was frantically going over what I could do to get him away from me and to keep me from breaking down in sobs.

He pulled back and looked at me, shaking his head. "I did mention that he's an asshole, right?" I nodded, taking a ragged breath. "He explained it as being a way to make up for my acquired disadvantage against the natural course of life. I needed to have a way to balance it out."

"While I would love nothing more than to be the downer in your life. I am not going back with you." I stiffened my spine and pushed against his chest again.

"You don't really have a choice, and neither do I." He fisted his hand in my hair at the nape of my neck and tipped my head back slightly. "If you don't come back with me, it will start to degrade. When that happens it will have the opposite effect on whoever has physical custody of it."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning…" He pressed his lips to mine. "That if you don't come with me, it will began to cause absolute chaos here."

He trailed kisses down my chin and to my ear.

"The economy will suffer, but that isn't the biggest issue that you will see." He began, nipping at the skin below my ear. "Rage and lust will become incontrollable. It will be like a haze of murder, rape and destruction."

"That's not possible." I whimpered out, the images of the apocalyptic chaos flashing through my mind.

"Can you imagine what these men will do if they lose the ability to control themselves?" He laughed. "Can you imagine what they would do to you, specifically, when their minds are filled with these desires and no filter or moral code will keep them from fulfilling them?"

"I have no choice." I whispered, a tear rolling down my cheek.

"I told you." He pulled back and looked at my face, a smirk lifting his lips. "You know you have to give in to me."

"What happens if I get you this essence and bring you back and leave?"

"The same thing will happen, but in our world and not here." He stepped back, his hands on his hips and a cocky grin on his face.

None of this made any sense, but I can't deny that the possibility was there. This wasn't our plane, and our limits of reality are completely different. The supernatural and ethereal possibilities were more than either of us can even fathom, let alone manipulate.

"Fine." I spoke finally, my voice cracking. "Let me at least say goodbye."

"It won't change anything." He shook his head. "And….frankly I don't want to give you that satisfaction."

He pulled me off the table onto my feet and towards the door. The tears were flowing down my face and I wasn't even concerned with the fact that I was half naked and bleeding. Taking my hand in his, he knocked on the door.

"Remember, if they kill me…" He eyed me, knowing that he didn't even have to finish the conversation. I nodded.

The door opened and Les, Hector and Tank stood hands on their weapons. They took in my state of dress and blood running from my shoulder and stiffened, rage coursing through their body.

"Well, gentlemen." Marco smiled, pulling me against him and curling his arm around my waist. I whimpered at the contact. Les jumped to pull me away, but Marco held out his arm. "She's coming with me willingly."

"Opie?" Les' voice sent pain through my heart. I looked into his eyes and nodded. "She isn't going willingly. She can't!"

Tank and Hector quickly jumped towards Les who went to grab me. Both men looked at me; silently asking me if it's true. I tipped my held slightly and their faces fell; pain and fear obvious.

"I…" I began, my voice cracking. I swallowed and continued. "I am going to go with him."

"You don't have to go. What did he threaten you with? I can protect you, you know I can." Les struggled against their hold.

"I have to go." I couldn't stop the sob escaping me. I closed my eyes trying to reign in the pain that was squeezing my chest. "I can't stay, and you can't protect me."

"Let's go, Lover." Marco accentuated the last word, fueling Les' fire. He turned me and lead me down the hallway to the elevator. I could hear Les swearing and screaming for Tank and Hector to stop me. I was half hoping that he would, but I knew that he couldn't.

I turned once we reached the elevators, taking one last look at Les.

'I love you.' I mouthed.

The doors closed as I heard Les devastating roar explode from him. My heart broke and a cold that I have never felt before slid through my veins.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, if you are new to reading my FF you may be asking yourself…what the fuck is going on?...well, the answer to that is: Who knows? If you are familiar, you are just shaking your head, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I know this is a bit of a cliffy, but you know I will be back with another exciting chapter as soon as I can. Please make sure to tip your waitress, and leave a review. And as always…thank you for taking the time to read my stuff.

P.S. It may be a little bit of a break between chapters. I have some vacation coming up and plan on spending the time naked and intoxicated.


	14. Chapter 14

AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, I know that this chapter is a little short, but I have a bunch of things going on right now. Of course, real life can be such a bitch when you are trying to play in your own personal fantasy world. Unfortunately, this chapter may have some feelies…so I apologize ahead of time. Please feel free to contact me if you feel the need for a cyber hug, or if you would like to bash me over the head with some large hard object.

As always, I appreciate the crap outta all of you that take the time out of your day to read the crap that spews out of my brain. You guys help keep me sane. I am a total review whore, so please feel free to also feed into my addiction to the instant gratification that is your reviews. Enjoy the chapter!

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The elevator doors opened to the garage and Marco stepped forward, pulling me with him. Diesel and Lizzie were standing hands on hips in front of my car, their backs towards us. I could hear footsteps pounding down the stairs before the metal door flew open and slammed against the wall.

"FREEZE!" Cal yelled his weapon at the ready. Diesel and Lizzie whipped around and stared at Marco and I. Hal and Bobby were behind Cal, who also drew their weapons and were slowly making their way to surround us.

"Wow." Marco laughed, curling me tighter under his arm. "These guys are pretty intense."

"Let her go!" Bobby ground out, taking a step towards us. Marco quirked his eyebrow at me and tipped his head toward the guys.

"Go ahead." He unwound his arm from me and raised his arms. I stood shaking, knowing that with every ounce of my being that I wanted to run away from him and into the safety of my friends. Not trusting my voice, I shook my head.

"Opie." Cal lowered his weapon slightly and furrowed his brow. "Come here."

"No." I said, my voice cracking. I took a deep breath, swallowed and tried again. "I'm going with him."

"Like hell you are!" Cal growled out, stepping closer and reaching out to grab my arm. I pulled away and shook my head. "Opie, he can't hurt you."

"I am going with him." I looked desperately at Diesel, who crossed his arms over his chest. He dropped his head and shook it.

"Opie." Diesel's voice was soft and low.

"Please let us pass." I all but sobbed, desperately trying to reign in my emotions.

"See boys." Marco's snarky tone mimicked that of a child taunting another child with a treat. "She wants to come with me. You can't stop her."

"You obviously don't know us very well." Cal reached forward and pulled me towards him. My eyes widened and I began to fight the death grip Cal had on me. "Stop, Opie." He ground out, holstering his weapon to get a better grip on me.

"Let me go!" I shrieked, pulling at his hold and trying to get away. I can't stay, I thought. "Please, let me go!" I couldn't hold the tears in any longer.

"Sounds to me that you are the ones that don't know her so well." Marco put out his hand and I grabbed it. Cal released me and I stumbled forward. "Come on, Opie. Let's go home."

"What is he threatening you with?" Bobby stood in front of us, his gun still trained on Marco's face. "We can protect you, Opie. I promise you."

"I need to go." I gasped out, my eyes pleading with Bobby to understand. "Please."

"Come here." Diesel sighed out, walking towards the car and opening the passenger door. Marco nodded and led me towards the door.

"At least one of you has sense." He snarled, letting go of me as he opened the driver's side door. I walked on wobbly legs around the car and stood in front of Diesel who was staring at me.

"Opie." He half-smiled and pulled me into his arms. I wrapped myself around him.

'I know what's going on.' I heard his voice in my head. Thankfully I was snuggled into his chest which muffled my gasp of surprise at his intrusion into my mind. 'He's right.'

'I can't stay.' I thought back, hoping that he could hear me. Pushing back slightly I looked into his face, relief washing over me as he nodded.

'He is going to be meeting Wolf and then they are taking you back to your plane.' His voice was soothing inside my head. 'I'm going to follow and get you away, but I have to figure out what to do with the essence.'

"Take care of them." I spoke aloud, after Marco cleared his throat.

"I promise." He kissed my forehead and closed the door after I was situated in my seat. Just as Marco put the car into gear the stairwell door burst open again with Les scrambling out towards me.

"Opie!" He yelled, taking off after us as the car peeled out. I watched, my heart breaking, as he ran after the car only closing my eyes when we turned around the corner and his form disappeared.

"You did the right thing." Marco's voice breaking the silence a few minutes later. "You don't belong here."

I didn't answer him, but kept my gaze out the window hiding the tears streaming down my face from a man that I once loved.

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Twenty minutes later we pulled into a parking garage deeper in the city and stopped the car.

"He will be here in a minute." Marco said, turning in his seat and looking at me.

"Who?" I spoke quietly, but already knew the answer. Wolf was going to meet us here and take us back.

"I am sure you already know." He chuckled and reached out towards me, grabbing my chin with his hand and angling my face towards him. "You might want to lose the attitude when he gets here. He's not as…forgiving as I am."

I nodded. Sighing, Marco wiped away the tears that were streaming down my face.

"It's not that bad, Opie." He sounded exasperated. "You act like you're walking into your own funeral. I'm not going to kill you."

Before I could even gather my thoughts, my door opened and a hand reached in pulling me out. I screamed, reaching out with my arms and legs to free myself from the tight grip.

"Quiet." Wolf's voice shot ice through my veins, freezing my movements and stopping my breath. I could feel him pressed up against my back, his broad chest like steel. "I'm glad that you decided to cooperate, Ms. Cummings."

"I told you she would." Marco replied from within the car. "She just needed to know what was at stake."

Wolf turned me around and pressed me against the side of the car. His hand cupped my face and turned it from side to side as he eyed me.

"She is a pretty little thing, isn't she?" His face twisted into a smile that made my heart stop in terror. "I may have to stay for a while and….visit."

"Sure, man." I could hear the humor in Marco's voice.

Wolf wrapped an arm around me and seamlessly slid into the passenger seat, positioning myself on his lap, before closing the door.

"Drive to the Harbor." I could feel his breath on my neck, which made me shudder. He chuckled and I could feel it reverberate through his chest. "Careful, Little One." He curled his fingers into my hair. "Those sounds can make a man think of many things."

We drove for another thirty minutes before the Harbor came into view. Wolf motioned for Marco to drive behind an old building and park.

"Now, this might hurt a bit." He smiled, leaning forward and placing both hands on the dashboard.

A surge of unbearable heat shot through me as everything went black. I could feel the pull like when Diesel had brought Ranger and I back, but this was accompanied by this heat that was so intense that I thought that I was going to die. Before I could scream, we were slammed back.

"Fuck." Marco cried out as his head bounced off the steering wheel. I was grateful for a moment that I was in Wolf's grasp, because the jolt was mostly absorbed by him.

"Drive." Wolf commanded, releasing his hands from the dash. I noticed that they had left bubbling black prints behind. Grumbling and holding his head, Marco put the vehicle in drive.

Looking around I knew where we were. We were just outside of Colorado Springs at an old lumber factory that had burned down years prior and hadn't been put back into use. I knew that it was only a fifteen minute drive to where Marco had been living. He had purchased a large log cabin style home on the outskirts of town. Knowing that the home was far enough from other people made any fantasy of escaping less likely. The year that I had been here before Diesel got me I had been to this home to drop off paperwork and items that he had won in the divorce. It was gated with security cameras and miles of wooded area between neighbors.

"You're shaking, Little One." Wolf purred in my ear, sliding his hands up and down my legs. "Shivering in anticipation, I assume."

I closed my eyes and tried to find my happy place. Anywhere would be better than were I was currently sitting.

"You know…" Wolf began, pulling me from my thoughts. "I may not be able to read your mind as well as Diesel could, but denial won't protect you from your reality. You might as well come to accept it, and find pleasure in the fact that you aren't going to be killed."

"Somehow I think that death may just be a better alternative." I snarled quietly. As the words left my mouth, Wolf grasped my hair and pulled my head back so that I was nose to nose with him.

"I can guarantee that you'll be preferring death if you wish." His voice harsh and unforgiving. "But play nicely and I can make sure that you enjoy yourself almost as much as I will."

The gate came into view a few moments later and as we pulled to a stop in front of them Marco punched in a code. The gate slowly opened and we continued onto the long driveway to the main home.

"How long will it take before I start seeing my luck change?" Marco pulled up the front door and cut the engine. "My accountant isn't a happy man at the moment."

"It's already has." Wolf smiled, pulling open the door and sliding out with me still tucked into his arms. Keeping his arm around me we strode towards the front of the vehicle. Marco rushed forward and unlatched the hood, securing it before taking a step back.

"Sometimes things are hidden in plain sight." Wolf whispered, reaching down and plucking a small box off the top of the engine. He tossed it to Marco who yipped and scrambled into the house, leaving the door wide open behind him. "Let's get you settled, Little One."

I nodded and lowered my head as he led me inside, closing the door behind us. We took the stairs, which were positioned as a focal point immediately in front of the entrance, and stopped once we came to a set of large ornately carved double doors.

"This is your room." He smiled, opening the door and ushering me inside. I quickly glanced around. It was a large room with a bed, dresser and vanity all in dark woods and carved like the door. There was a large glass door across from us that lead towards a balcony with two chairs and a table. I could see a bathroom off to the left with a large closet and some cushy chairs and a desk in a space with book cases.

I could tell he was waiting for me to respond.

"It's lovely. "I whispered, my fingers anxiously fingering with the hem of my shirt. He chuckled and pulled me towards the bathroom.

"Take a shower and get dressed." He all but tossed me into the room; the only thing stopping my face from planting with the edge of the tub was my quick grasp of the counter. "There are clothes for you in the closet. When you are done, come downstairs and we can eat and discuss what is to be expected of you."

He turned and left, closing the bedroom door behind him. With a sob, I sunk to the floor and allowed myself to finally let the sobs that I was holding in escape. Thoughts of what my life had been made my chest tighten uncomfortably and the thought of never seeing Les again was my complete undoing. After a few moments, I took a deep breath and turned on the shower. As I waited for the water to reach the right temperature, I strolled into the walk-in closet. Wolf was right. The racks were filled with clothing; and upon closer inspection clothing that was my size.

Taking a deep shaking breath I pulled a t-shirt and jeans as well as underthings and went back into the bathroom to disrobe. I slid into the shower and stood under the spray; the hot water scalding my skin. I washed, not feeling clean either way, shampooed my hair before once again standing in the hot spray.

My chest hurt and my head spun from the emotional upheaval and the transplanear travel. Just as I was about to once again collapse into a sobbing mess I heard the faint ringing of my cell phone. Hope sprung anew knowing that I still had the ability to communicate with Diesel and the rest of my friends. Obviously, Wolf and Marco hadn't anticipated that I would have a phone that worked both sides of realities.

"Don't say a word." Came the voice as I answered the phone. I bit my lip to contain my relief at Diesel's voice. "I know where you are. I can't reach you yet."

I whimpered as panic from that last statement hit me.

"Shhh…I will get you out." His voice was soft and reassuring. "I don't want you to talk, but if it's a yes clear your throat. If it's no, tap the receiver. Do you understand?" I cleared my throat. "Good. Do they have it?" I cleared my throat again. "It was right in front of us, wasn't it?" I cleared my throat again and he swore. "Did you see anyone else at the house?" I tapped the receiver.

I heard some talking in the background and shuffling. My heart leapt as I heard Les.

"Opie, Keep your phone hidden and on silent. Hide it someplace they won't look, like in your underwear or something." I whimpered again, remembering Wolf's words about staying. "Shit." Taking my whimper as a sign that it may not be concealable and probably understanding what that mean. "Do it anyway. And Opie." There was a pause as he took a deep breath. "Fight that fucker tooth and nail. We're coming."

The line went dead. I held the phone in front of me for a moment staring at the screen wishing that I could crawl through the line and towards them. Water pooled at my feet and only after I began shivering did I set the phone down and towel myself off and get dressed. I didn't bother drying my hair, but chose instead to wring out as much as water as I could and twist it into a bun on the top of my head.

I stood for a moment and thought about where I could hide my phone. The jeans were form fitting as was the t-shirt making it hard to hide a lump. Having a moment of clarity I walked back into the closet and pulled out a thick pair of tall socks and a pair of boots that went half way up my calf. Sliding the socks on, I turned off the sound and slid it into the inside of my sock and then my boot. It was a little uncomfortable, but it was not noticeable.

Taking a deep breath I made my way out of the bedroom and down the stairs. I could hear voices as I neared the bottom, and eyed the door. I could try to run for it, but I doubt that I would get very far.

"Opie." Marco's voice startled me and pulled me from my thoughts. "This way."

He stood gesturing with his hand towards a room off to the left of the staircase. The door was open and I could see that it was a sitting room. Taking a wide birth I followed his hand and slid into the room; he slid in behind me and closed the door.

"Take a seat." He put a hand on the small of my back; pushing gently. I noticed Wolf standing in front of a set of long windows at the far end of the room. It was a sitting room with two high back chairs and a long sofa angled towards each other. A set of floor to ceiling height bookcases, packed with colorful books of various sizes sat on either side of a large fireplace. Winding through a few side tables, I took my seat in one of the high backed chairs as far away Wolf as I could.

"I hope that you are feeling more relaxed now." Wolf said, his eyes never leaving the view out of the windows. Marco took the seat directly next to me and picked up a glass of what I assume was whiskey off of the oval coffee table in front of us. "We need to discuss your obligations to these arrangements as well as the repercussions if you choose to not comply."

"I am here. Isn't that enough?" I crossed my arms over my chest and slouched into my seat.

"It is the high point." Wolf turned and smiled at me. Stalking towards me in long strides I felt my spine stiffen. He stopped directly in front of me and sat on the table. "But that seems just too….easy." He grinned and leaned forward; his hands resting on his knees.

"I left the only place I felt like I belonged and returned to a man who made my life hell." I growled. "Nothing about that was easy."

"Made your life hell." Marco spoke under his breath as he took a sip. "You're fucking delusional."

"Why did you make me part of his deal?" I asked, ignoring Marco and looking directly at Wolf. "I am nothing to him. My being here benefits no one, especially you."

"Oh, but it does." He licked his lips and reached out to touch my leg. I jerked it out of his reach. "You see, my cousin has been a pain in my ass for a long time." He stood; leaning down bracing his body with a hand on either side of the chair's arms. "He became infatuated with you the moment he met you. Something about the spark in your eyes." He waved his hand as if even the words pestered him like a bug. "He wanted to spend more time with you, and do to that he had to finish the task he was assigned."

"You would think that as a distraction it would be better for me to be there." I pressed against the back of the seat, trying to distance myself from him.

"You would think." He sighed and touched my cheek. "You see, Diesel can be very effective when he's properly motivated. You are his motivation."

"So, pushing me out of the equation will cause him to become lax again when looking for the stones?" It was kind of making sense. "But why would Diesel risk you getting control over the stones for me?"

"He's a sentimental fool." He stood, sliding his hands into the pockets of his dress pants. "Look at Lizzy or that Plum girl. Do you know how many times he has gone out of his way just to make sure that he could take assignment in Trenton? It's pathetic."

"But you're here." I noted. "You aren't looking for the stone now. Aren't you wasting time?"

"Don't you worry about my time, Little One." He pulled me by the front of my t-shirt to my feet and against his chest. Snaking his arm around me, he leaned forward; his face a breath away from mine. "The fact that I have you will make him so insane that it will take a very long time for him to be able to focus again at his task. The longer I spend with you, the more time it gives me later on."

"You are sick." I whisper.

"That I am." His head lowered as he took a deep breath through his nose, smelling me. "You do smell as amazing as I expected. Like caramel and strawberries. It's delightful."

"Let me go." I seethed, pressing against his grasp. He just laughed, pulling me tighter against him.

"Marco, you need to check your business." Wolf spoke but his gaze never left my face. "I think that Ms. Cummings and I will need some time to….get to know each other."

"Marco don't you dare!" I shrieked as he stood to leave. I saw for a moment in his eyes, that he questioned whether or not he should leave me. For a moment, I saw the concern and care that had once been in his eyes. It was short lived.

"Enjoy yourself." He smirked, shaking his head. "She's frigid as hell. Maybe you can help warm her up."

Mouth agape and the sound of Wolf's chuckling I watched Marco walk out of the room; closing the door behind him.

"Now…" Wolf began, reaching up and unwinding my damp hair from the bun. "Why don't we talk about how I can help warm you up."

"Touch me and you'll die a slow and painful death, asshole." I ground out once again pushing against his hold. His arms felt like steel as he held me tight against him, his chest rumbling with laughter that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"My death will be far from slow or painful, Little One." He whispered, leaning in and nipping at the sensitive point on the crook of my neck. "It will be long long after yours, unfortunately."

"Please." I whimpered, pressing harder against his chest. "Please don't do this."

He released me and took a step back, grinning at the obvious fear that radiated from my body.

"You know what will be even better then telling my dear cousin that I defiled his precious Ophelia?" He bit his bottom lip. "Knowing that he would have never been your choice in the first place."

"Diesel is a better man than you will ever be."

"True." He turned and walked towards a small bar, pouring himself a drink. "But him being better means that he will forever be without the things the he really wants. For me, that is reason enough to stay my course."

"He has more than you ever will." My voice gaining a little confidence. "He has loyal friends and people who love him. You are just a pathetic man who can't even accomplish his own personal goals. Is that why you constantly have to try to break his spirit? Because you fail at everything you actually want to do?"

"I do love your spunk." He laughed again, downing his drink and setting the glass on the bar. "It will be a joy to see that light leave your eyes. Maybe I can record it, for prosperity's sake of course. Wouldn't want dear Diesel to miss out on that, would we?"

"What happens if I die?" I asked, tipping my chin up in spite of my wavering confidence. "If I die, then your whole deal goes to shit. I'm pretty sure that he would avenge me."

"Oh, I am sure that he would." He shook his head and stepped back towards me. "But your death would do nothing to stop me from getting the upper hand. In fact, a distraught Diesel often makes very poor choices."

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I was seeing the web that he had created and it was getting tighter and tighter. If I stayed, I would be out of the way; leaving Diesel unprepared to maintain the focus he needs to get the stones. If I were to leave, the chaos in the planes would just add to Wolf's end game bringing him the chaos that he seems to desire. If I were to die, take my own life, it would crush him and leave the same effect.

"I see you finally understand." He grabbed my hand and led me towards the door. I didn't even fight against it, just stumbled blindly. "How about I leave you to think about everything for a bit? Then I can come and "visit" you with a clear idea of exactly how powerless you are in this whole mess?"

He led me up to my room and sat me on my bed. I closed my eyes as he slowly ran his fingers through my hair and across my face.

"Marco thinks that you will be his to do as he wishes." He whispered his breath hot against my cheek. "What he doesn't understand is that I own you both. He is petty and stupid with no concern for what is really going on. As long as he gets what he wants, he doesn't care about the rest. I think I will enjoy you, especially now that I know that not only will I get to mess with Diesel; I also see the way that Marco looks at you."

I looked at him and he smiled.

"Oh yes, Little one." He licked his lips and ran his thumb over my bottom lip. "Don't you see the way that he looks at you?"

"You're wrong. He doesn't care about me." I shook my head, removing his thumb from my lip.

"He doesn't love you, that's true." He grasped my face with both hands. "He just doesn't want you to be with anyone else. You denied him."

He pressed his lips to mine, biting my lip hard enough to draw blood. I winced at the pain, which fueled him. Wrapping an arm around my waist he pressed me back into the mattress; his weight crushing me. I pushed and cried out, but he took advantage and swept his tongue into my mouth and around mine. Before I could bite down on his intruding tongue he sucked my bloodied lip into his mouth, moaning lustfully as he pulled at the wound.

"I can't wait to taste you, Little One." He growled, grinding himself against me. I whimpered again, his hand finding my throat and choking me. A sick smile slid over his face as he watched a tear roll down my cheek. "You are testing my control." He ground into me again and leaned down, licking the tear off my cheek and groping my breasts painfully.

"Please stop." I gasped out, the hand on my throat giving just oxygen so I wouldn't pass out.

"Soon." He whispered, capturing my mouth with his again and pressing himself against me before standing and leaving the room.

I laid there, gasping for breath and sobbing as the door clicked shut.

&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8&8

Can I just say that sometimes I really think I am a douche for leaving a chapter like this. I will try to get the next one out as soon as I can. In the meantime, please feel free to check out the other stories that I have posted on .

Lots of loves and hugs and smooches ObsessiveReader22


	15. Chapter 15

I laid there until my breath was even and I stopped shaking. Pulling to my feet, I head into the bathroom and lock the door. I flipped on the exhaust fan and the shower before curling up on the floor beside the toilet. I untied my boot and slipped the cell phone out of my sock.

There weren't any missed calls or texts of course, but I hoped that maybe there was a message saying we are right outside. I snorted quietly to myself at the desperation and opened my messages. I flicked down to Les' messages and read them all. I smiled at the pictures he sent me, most of which were goofy. Les humping Hal's ass as he was trying to reach something in the back of the SUV. Him lifting his shirt and stroking a nipple with the caption 'do I make you horny'. A picture of him and I making faces when we went out for lunch with the guys last week.

I shrieked quietly as my phone lit up. I smiled, seeing that it was a text from Diesel.

'YOU'RE HIDING. WHY?'

I sighed and tapped my response.

'WOLF IS AN ASSHOLE.'

I didn't have to wait long for his response.

'YOU HURT?'

My chest tightened as my mind replayed our last interaction.

'NOT PHYSICALLY, BUT I NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE. HOW LONG BEFORE YOU HOP ON THE WHITE HORSE AND SAVE ME?'

This time the time between messages seemed like ages. I pressed my ear to the bathroom door to make sure that I was still alone.

'SOON, LOVE. WE ARE HERE. WAITING FOR CONTAINMENT CREW.'

I read the message a few times. He said 'we'. Before I could ask another message came through.

'BE SAFE. WON'T BE LONG.'

Before I could respond I heard a knock at the door. I jumped and slipped my phone back into my boot and tied it.

"Yea?" I yelled through the door.

"I need to talk to you." Marco's voice was quiet, muffled even more so by the door between us.

"I was just about to get in the shower." I pulled myself to my feet.

"You can take it later. Come out."

"Okay." I flipped off the shower and the fan and then took a moment to calm myself as well as make it seem like I was getting dressed. I stole a glance in the mirror; the pink puffy eyes and swollen lip evident. Sighing again, I unlocked the door and opened it.

Marco was standing with his arms braced against the door jam, his head hung down. He pushed off and walked towards the bed, motioning for me to sit. I complied, but stiffened as he took a seat right next to me.

"Wolf told me that he hadn't quite explained what you would have to do." He spoke quietly, staring off into the room.

"Not really." I wrung my hands. The movement caught his attention and he finally looked at me, his eyes widening slightly.

"Asshole." He whispered under his breath and shook his head. "I'm not a monster, Opie."

"I never thought of you as a monster, but it's really hard right now to not." I scooted away from him as he turned to face me. "You haven't really shown yourself to be anything but."

"I can't think when it's not around me." His eyes left mine again, wandering around the room. "It's like it consumes me and nothing is more important than getting it back with me."

The silence that followed his statement was thick as it filled the room. I thought for a moment to speak, to break the quiet but it seemed that it had stretched on too long. I jumped when he spoke again.

"I got it after Sophia." I could hear the strain in his voice. "I know that we were already in a fucked up place, but losing her…"

Losing our daughter was the moment in our marriage that I knew that I wasn't in love with him anymore. Sure we had our spats, and had even dealt with moments of infidelity; on his part, but it was the end.

"I lost her, too. It didn't cause me to become a psychopath." I was bitter, so sue me.

"Before you and I separated there was nothing holding me to you." He cleared his throat. "The deal that I had with Wolf wasn't made until you came back from your last tour. I had been keeping your car locked away and secure. I figured that it would be the best place to hide it since the car was low-jacked."

"You low-jacked my car!?" I ground out. "It is the ONE thing that I wanted to keep. I gave you everything else."

"I was pissed off. I hate failing and I really hate losing." He chuckled and patted my knee. "You know, I would tell everyone it was your fault that we divorced. The reason changes, but usually it involved you not being able to have sex anymore, or that you decided to have a romantic relationship with an inanimate object."

"You are an asshole." I shook my head, knowing the lies he told our 'friends'. "So you assumed that you would end up with my car, and in turn the….whatever the hell it is. Must have pissed you off something fierce when the judge gave it to me."

"I didn't care about the fucking car, Opie." He ran his hand through his dark hair. "I just wanted the stone. You wouldn't even let me get it."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, pointing between the two of us. "Why are you trying to be all nice to me? I'm a prisoner here. I don't want to be here. The only reason I am here is because I had no other choice."

"Yeah, I know." He smiled. "But I figure since you will be living here with me from now on, we could at least become civil."

"Yeah, that isn't going to happen." I stood to walk away from him, but he grabbed my arm.

"It would make things a lot easier for you if you did." He warned, twisting my arm just enough to hurt. "I could keep Wolf away from you for a while."

"I doubt that you could." My tone was quick and curt. "He is a psychopath. He isn't going to bow down because he thinks you're fucking me."

"Probably not. But at least you know with me you won't end up half dead or burned in some pretty delicate places."

"Fuck off." I wrenched my arm out of his grasp. "I would rather get raped by the human torch in there then willingly let you do it."

"Suit yourself." He stood and closed the space between us, pressing himself against me. "Just so you know though, if you think that you will be living here and not obeying me you are mistaken. I get what I want and luckily with the stone in my procession you will do it willingly. Well, at least your body will be willing. Pretty sure your mind will still be saying no." He laughed, released me and left my room.

I swallowed hard, staring at the door.

A few hours later, I was curled in the bed trying to sleep. Every sound that echoed through the house sent a stab or terror through me as I was waiting for either Wolf or Marco to make good on the threats they had made. Hours of crying had left my throat raw and my eyes puffy and sore and my whole body ached. I had prayed to every deity I could think of to help get me out of his mess, but so far none had come to my assistance. That left Diesel, who I had hoped was able to gather everyone he needed so that I could leave this place soon.

I felt my eyes finally start to close and my body relax so that I could sleep when I heard it. Immediately, my body went rigid and I strained my ears to hear the sound again. It was the door handle slowly turning. I closed my eyes, willing myself to calm down but nothing was going to stop the terror that overcame me. With barely a sound the door opened and then clicked shut, followed by soft footsteps. When the footsteps reached the edge of the bed I shot up and looked at my intruder.

"I'm disappointed." Wolf sneered, eyeing my attire. I hadn't changed, nor taken off my boots. "I thought that maybe I would be treated to some silky underthings."

"Not going to happen." I tried to sound in control, but my voice just ended up sounding weak and scared. "What do you want?"

"Oh. Little One…" His tongue ran across his lips as he stared at me. "I'm pretty sure that you know the answer to that."

"No."

He chuckled and crooked his finger towards me in a 'come hither' motion. I shook my head furiously.

"I can come and get you." He taunted, seeming more pleased then not. I shook my head again. Faster than I could see, he grabbed my ankle and pulled me towards the end of the bed. I screamed kicking and trying to scramble out of his grasp; he was too strong. "Somehow your hesitation is actually making me more….excited."

"Hesitation?!" I screeched, pressing my hands against his chest as he leaned towards me. "This isn't hesitation. This is flat out refusal!"

"Semantics." He whispered, taking hold of both of my hands with one of his and pressing them into the mattress above my head. I whimpered as he took his free hand and flexing it in front of my face. It began to glow and heat radiated off of it. Looking into my eyes he smiled and slid a finger down the front of my shirt. The fabric disintegrated under his touch and fell away from my body in a ragged charred mess. I winced as my skin burned from the closeness. "Handy isn't it?"

"Please...don't do this." I begged, watching him wave his hand as if he were flicking out a match. The glow and heat slowly faded in a matter of seconds. He leaned forward and kissed the newly exposed flesh between my breasts and stomach.

"Dear sweet Ophelia." He murmured, flicking his eyes to mine. My breath hitched as I suppressed a sob. "You fear all the wrong things in life."

I closed my eyes as he positioned himself over me again, the back of his hand caressing my cheek. His scent was so overpowering; a woodsy sweet smell that reminded me of hickory and burnt sage. It was nothing like Diesel's comforting sweet smell or Lester's masculine fruit musk. I felt a tear roll down my cheek as I clung to the memory of Les' smell.

"Please." I begged again, my voice barely registering to my own ears. He pressed his lips to mine with a softness that surprised me. My eyes flitted open to see his staring at me intently.

Without breaking eye contact, he reached down and flipped the button of my jeans open sliding the zipper down. He traced the lace pattern on my panties with the tip of his finger, tipping his lip slightly into a smirk.

"I know how long it's been, Little One." He whispered, splaying his fingers over my abdomen. My lip quivered as he traced the scars from my hysterectomy. "It's a shame that I can't truly make you mine. I can only imagine how his heart would break seeing you round with my child."

"You are sick." I gritted out, tears pouring down my face.

"I believe we had already established that." He chuckled and positioned himself over me, grinding himself against at my core. I sobbed again, unable to keep it in as he lowered his head to nip at the skin of my neck. I heard a faint pop as I felt Wolf's body stiffen. "Oh cousin, you always come at the most inopportune moments."

"Actually I think I came at a pretty good time, if not late." Diesel's voice made my heart swell with relief. I looked beyond Wolf's body and saw him standing in front of the glass balcony door, his entire body vibrating in anger.

Without even turning, Wolf continued his path up my neck; biting the tender skin. I whimpered again as he bit down hard. Diesel rushed forward at the sound of my discomfort and wrapped a hand around Wolf's neck pulling him off of me. I immediately curled myself defensively into a ball, scooting back until I hit the headboard.

"You have gone too far this time." Diesel ground out through clenched teeth. Wolf just laughed, which was quickly cut off with a choking gurgle as Diesel's grip tightened. "Where is it?"

"We could share, you know." Wolf smiled and tipped his head towards me and licked his lips.

"Where is it!?"

"Who knows?" Another chuckle, followed by a rather satisfying crunch as Diesel's fists met Wolf's face. "Violence was never your forte, Diesel."

There was another faint pop and a man appeared next to Diesel, taking in the room. The man was about the same height as Diesel and carried a great deal of bulk under the faded Mega Death t-shirt and jeans. His hair, which was a reddish brown, curled around his ears and fell into his piercing green eyes.

"Get her out of here." Diesel tipped his head towards me and the man nodded. He took in my appearance as he neared, his brow tipping in sadness before anger flashed. Reaching out both hands palms up he inched towards me, trying not to scare me further. I looked at Diesel who nodded confirming that I could trust him. Without a second thought, I launched myself at him and wrapped my arms around his chest.

"You'll be okay." The man whispered, stroking my hair with one hand as he pulled the blanket off the bed and wrapped it around me. "My name is Torrent. I'm going to bring you somewhere safe."

I nodded and glanced at Diesel. His lip was twisted in snarl as he whispered something to Wolf, who was just smiling. He winked at me and I felt the color drain from my face.

"I can't leave Marco." I stuttered, looking up at Torrent who stared at me in confusion. "Marco and I have to be close to each other and the stone."

"She's a smart kid." Wolf gurgled out, the pressure on his throat affecting his voice.

"Marco has it." I whispered, remaining in Torrent's grasp. He radiated this intoxicating sense of calm and smelled like honey and ocean air.

"You know that I am only allowing this because I enjoy watching your mind reel." Wolf tried to laugh, but Diesel's grip tightened again. In a flash of movement, Wolf twisted out of his grip and stood a foot or so away from him smoothing his clothes. "There's not much you can do here. So, I suggest that you take your minion here and pop back to where ever you were hiding."

"Not this time." Diesel's tone sent a shiver down my spine. He has never sounded so angry and cold; it was terrifying.

"Cousin, you know that you're no match for me." Wolf winked at me causing Torrent to tuck me tighter into his arms. Wolf sighed. "Go home. Have some tea and screw some lonely barmaid. You have nothing to do here."

"You forget...cousin." Diesel's voice dripped venom as he closed the gap between them. "The only reason why you can beat me is because I refuse to fight dirty."

Wolf paled and jerked his head to look at Diesel. "You wouldn't..."

"Oh I would." He snarled and tilted his head slightly to one side, a smile tipping his lips. He raised his hand and flexed his fingers, presenting his palm towards the now visible shaken Wolf. I gasped as his hand began to glow, but unlike Wolf's reddish glow his was light blue.

Wolf stepped back, his eyes never leaving Diesel. "You can't." He mumbled, shaking his head. "You would be outcast. Hunted."

"Worth it." Another flick of his fingers and a spark arched between them casting an eerie glow over his face.

"Diesel?" My voice was so quiet that I wasn't sure that he heard it. I knew he had, by the tensing of his muscles and the ragged breath he inhaled.

"Opie, he deserves it." He never looked at me as he took another step forward.

"You don't even know what to do with it!" Wolf's voice cracked. "Plus, you need me to stop the stone from reaching critical failure."

"What did you do to the stone?" Diesel asked taking another step towards the now cowering Wolf.

"It's not a stone, it's an Eris stone encased in a Tyche flower." Wolf rattled out. I felt Torrent tighten his grip and swear.

"You idiot!" Diesel took his unglowing hand and smashed it once again into Wolf's face. "Why would you do that!? Do you know what you have done!?"

"What does that mean?" I tipped my head to look at Torrent, whose features were twisted into a scowl.

"Eris it he God of Chaos. Tyche is the Goddess of good fortune. He made a ticking time bomb. Once the flower dies and the Eris stone is able to penetrate the world around it chaos will ensue." Torrent's voice was calm, but I could sense the fear that ran behind his words.

"But he said…"

"He lied." Diesel interrupted. "We need to get it out of here. Now."

"The flower survives on Marco's good fortune." Wolf rattled off. "If it leaves him, the flower begins to die. Her pain keeps the Eris stone at bay. Without the two together and close you won't be able to stop it."

"Shit." Diesel shook his glowing hand until the glowing had receded and grabbed Wolf's collar. "You are coming with me. Don't even think about fucking around, because I won't hesitate to erase you."

"We can't separate them." Torrent looked down at me. "We can't risk it."

"We'll move them both." Diesel shook his head and began hauling Wolf towards the door. "Marco has to be here; otherwise we'd feel the break. Then we have to get that fucking stone as far away from here as we can."

Torrent took my hand and we followed Diesel out my bedroom door, stopping occasionally to check bedrooms and bathrooms as we went. We found him sleeping, wrapped around a pair of females in the furthest bedroom from the stairs. With a curt nod from Diesel, Torrent released my hand and picked up the sleeping Marco and dragged him to his feet.

"What the fuck!?" Marco yelped, reaching for the hand that was suspending him a few inches off the floor by the scruff of his neck. "You can't be here!"

"We are going on a trip, fucker." Torrent smiled and twisted his hand. "I'll put you down and you WILL put on some pants. I don't want to see that pathetic excuse for a dick."

Torrent released him and he crumpled to the floor with a groan. Glancing up at the two men, he jumped to his feet and slipped on a pair of sweat pants that were lying on the floor near the bed.

"Were to, boss?" Torrent asked Diesel, taking my hand and resuming the hold on Marco's neck.

"The vault." Diesel smiled and looked at Wolf who began to hyperventilate.

I felt the now familiar pull as the world around me went dark.

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So, at least we have Diesel with us…and his friend Torrent. Wolf fucked up pretty bad, and I don't know if they will be able to fix it. Please review...let me know how it's going. If you are confused, or have any questions or comments…my PM is always open. Thanks, as always, for reading.


	16. Chapter 16

Opening my eyes, I groaned and pulled myself into a sitting position. Marco was lying in a heap next to me, obviously awake but not bothering to move. Torrent was standing over me, hands on hips like a sentry. He smiled at me and reached his hand down. I took it and he pulled me to my feet.

"Where's Diesel?" I asked looking around and seeing that neither he nor Wolf were there.

"Counsel." He smiled when I tipped my eyebrow up in confusion. "Wolf has some explaining to do and they are trying to figure out how to contain the stone."

"So, is this the vault?" The room that we were in seemed more like a cave then a vault. I don't know if we were underground, but it felt like it. There was a cold dampness in the air and the walls of stone were smooth as was the floor.

"This is just a chamber. The vault is below us about five miles." He kicked at Marco. "Get up, fool."

"Mmmmrph." Marco grumbled, rolling over on his back and finally opening his eyes. "Fuck my life."

"Get up." He said again, this time kicking him a little harder. Marco oofed and rolled to his knees before standing. "I'm taking you to somewhere more comfortable, Opie."

He lead me by my hand, Marco tagging along behind us ogling at the space around us. We wound our way down a series of hallways etched into the stone before coming to a bright room with an elevator. It was filled with long halogen lights that ran along the finished ceiling. The walls were sheet rocked and painted a soft green with paintings and trim; even the floor was a stone tile a shade darker then the walls.

"This seems out of place." I chuckled as Torrent pressed the elevator call button.

"I guess." He smiled, watching for the doors to open. "I don't know why they don't renovate everything. I guess to throw people off."

"Well it worked."

The doors opened and we stepped inside, Marco huddling into the far corner. Torrent pressed his palm into a glass pad on the wall of the elevator and it began to move. Cheesy music filled the quiet space as we descended, which once again brought a smile to my face. Weird how no matter how secretive or unbelievable the place is; elevators always have cheesy music.

The doors opened to what looked like the lobby of some fancy law office. There was a tall u-shaped desk directly in front of us emblazoned with the words B.U.M. and a giant rising phoenix behind it. The woman behind the desk was dressed in a conservative charcoal gray suit with her hair twisted softly into a twist. She had an ear piece and was busy answering phone lines and tapping away at very sleek computer.

The rest of the room was furnished with stiff backed modern sofas, large green ferns in sleek pots, and landscape paintings on the walls. Hallways extended out either side of the lobby, sealed with frosted glass double doors with the same emblem that was on the desk in front of us.

"Mr. Bittner." The woman looked up quickly at Torrent and smiled. "They are waiting for you in conference room seven." She pointed towards the hallway on the left.

"Thanks Trix." Torrent smiled and pressed a soft hand on my back and pushing Marco in the direction she had been pointing. After slipping through the glass doors we were faced with a long hallway with large frosted doors littering either side. I could hear phones ringing, and muted conversations as we passed by the doors; stopping in front of a door that was simply labeled '7' etched in the frosted glass.

He pushed open the door and lead me in, waiting until Marco was in before following. It was a normal conference room with a giant glass table surrounded by sleek white chairs. There was a giant screen on the far side of the wall and orbs of light hanging from the ceiling.

"Take a seat, Opie." Torrent pointed towards a chair and pressed a button on a panel by the door. It beeped and he spoke into the speaker. "We need some coffee and something to eat for three."

"Yes, sir." A male's voice replied before another beep sounded.

I took a chair and sighed. This was so freaking weird. I watched as Marco slipped nervously into a chair next to me. He was shirtless and barefoot, shivering slightly. I looked down and took in my own appearance; groaning.

"Torrent?" I asked as he sat down a few chairs down and put his feet up on the table. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Umm…is there any way for us to get some clothes? I mean, my tits are hanging out here, and dumbass over here is barefoot."

"Oh shit…sorry didn't even think about that." He laughed and walked back over to the panel, pressing the button again. It beeped. "Hey, I need some clothes."

"Uhh…sir?"

"I have a half-naked male, about 6'3" probably 225. He's barefoot too." He looked towards me and shook his head. "I have a female in need of a shirt maybe a sweatshirt. Don't want her to get cold down here."

"On it, sir." The panel beeped again and he took up his seat again.

"That's convenient." I pointed at the box.

"It is." He looked back at it. "Bunch of probies down the clinks just waiting to get some action…they enjoy being able to move around sometimes." He winked and slid his hands behind his head.

"What's going to happen to me?" Marco finally spoke, looking at his hands folded together on the table.

"Depends." Torrent shook his head. "Once Diesel comes back from the meeting we'll have a better idea of what exactly we are facing."

"Where's the stone?" I asked, realizing that Diesel never gave Marco the chance to give it to him and I am pretty sure it isn't on him now.

"Diesel has it." He closed his eyes and sighed.

After a few minutes there was a knock on the door and it opened revealing a young guy, probably nineteen or twenty holding a tray and a duffel bag.

"Sir." The man walked up to Torrent, who lazily opened his eyes. He tipped his head toward the table and closed them again.

"Ma'am." The man said, nodding his head and sliding the tray onto the table along with the duffle bag. Unzipping the bag he pulled out a t-shirt and a sweatshirt, holding it out to me. "I hope they are not too large. I wasn't sure of your size."

"Thanks." I smiled, taking the shirts from him. I slipped the destroyed shirt off my arms and slid the t-shirt over my head. It was gray, soft and smelled heavenly. I heard the man giggle when I pressed the sweatshirt to my face and took in a deep breath. "This smells amazing." I explained, slipping it over top of the shirt.

"Thanks." The man blushed. "It's mine." He tossed the rest of the bag at Marco, hitting him unceremoniously in the face. "Your clothes."

"I'm Opie." I stuck out my hand and he shook it.

"Greg." He smiled and began to prepare the food and drinks that were on the tray.

"That's Marco." I thumbed to my left, turning slightly to see that he was slipping on a hot pink t-shirt that read 'the shit'. I giggled. "Love the shirt."

"Fuck off." Marco growled, pulling out matching hot pink socks and sweatpants. "Jesus, I better not die wearing this shit."

"Cream, sugar?" Greg asked, handing me a large steaming cup of coffee.

"Both please."

He smiled as I dumped massive amounts into the cup and stirred it. I watched, sipping my coffee, as he laid out a cookies, cheeses, fruits and crackers. He placed the carafe of coffee onto the table and pulled the now empty tray to his side.

"If there is anything else you need, please don't hesitate to ask." He smiled again, and left the room.

Torrent sighed again and grabbed an empty cup; filling it with coffee and drinking it black.

"Nice shirt." He smiled behind his cup and Marco glared.

We ate and drank in silence, taking naps and just lounging for what seemed like hours before the door opened. Diesel walked in and smiled at me, before pulling me into his arms for a bone crushing hug.

"So?" I asked, pulling back and looking into his face. Before I could answer two large men, dressed in suits came through the door and yanked Marco from his seat. He shouted as they dragged him out of the room. "What's going on?"

"It's done." Diesel embraced me again, kissing the top of my head. "You smell funny."

"Diesel, where are they taking Marco?" I pushed back and pointed at the door.

"He and the stone are being processed." He sighed and ran a hand down my cheek. "They'll be contained until the stone can be fully destroyed."

"Then what?"

"Don't know." He pressed a kiss to my forehead and leaned his against mine. "I'm sorry it took so long for me to get to you." He whispered, his thumb rubbing gently across the side of my face.

"I'm just glad you came." I turned my face and pressed a kiss to his palm.

"Seeing his hands on you…" He began, his entire body tensing.

"I'm fine, Diesel." I pulled back and took his face in my hands. "Another few minutes and I wouldn't be, but you saved me. I am fine."

He nodded, his eyes flickering over my features.

"Does this mean I can go home?"

"Yes." He smiled, stepping back and taking my hand. "This means you get to go home."

We walked towards Torrent who was standing beside the chair he had been occupying. I released Diesel's hand and wrapped my arms around his waist. His arms encircled me and he pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

"Thank you." I whispered. "I owe you something fierce."

"Nah." He looked down at me and winked. "You don't owe me nothing. I got to meet you, and that is more than enough for me."

Diesel took my hand and we made our way out of the room and down the hall. We rode in the elevator in silence, his hand still holding onto mine.

"We have to leave from where we arrived." He finally spoke as we made our way down the hallways before the entering the large room where we first arrived. "Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Right before you release it I will pop us back."

I eyed him questioningly and he laughed.

"Makes landing easier." He shrugged and I nodded; taking a deep breath. True to his word, as I breathed out and we popped I only felt a small pull. I opened my eyes and saw that we were standing outside of the Rangeman building. I looked up at him and he shrugged. "Ranger never did like it when I popped inside."

I laughed and tucked into a hug. I turned as I heard a loud bang followed by heavy footsteps.

"Opie!" Les was running towards me. I left Diesel's embrace and rushed towards him. I launched myself at him, wrapping my arms and legs around him and pressing a kiss on his lips. Tears rolled down my face, as his arms came around me. "Opie, I thought I lost you." He whispered, peppering my face with kisses.

"I'm sorry." I hiccupped, running my hands though his hair and staring into his eyes. Tears threatened to fall from his thick eyelashes. "I don't ever want to leave you again."

I could hear more footsteps and shouts of surprise and excitement, but I couldn't look away. The months of dancing around our attraction and the time wasted on not giving into the strong feelings I had for him were gone.

"I love you." I whispered, watching his face light up.

"Opie, I love you too." He pressed his lips to mine and we kissed passionately; pouring our souls into one another and finally admitting that we were in fact in love.

"Ahem." Tank's deep voice startled us, breaking the kiss. I turned to find him standing so close that if I would have leaned in slightly we would be touching foreheads. We smiled at each other and he pulled me from Les' grasp and into one of his bear hugs. From there I was passed to each of the Merry Men before I was set down in front of Steph and Ranger.

"Opie!" Steph threw her arms around me and we hugged. "I was so worried! After you left I thought that it was going to be world war three. I have never see Diesel act that way…and the guys! Oh my God! It was scary."

"I'm sorry that I didn't say anything. It was complicated." I gave her a tight squeeze and pulled back. "I'm back and I think it's done. Marco isn't coming back and the stone is gone, or at least taken care of."

She smiled and wiped away a tear before stepping back. Ranger smiled at me and opened his arms. I laughed and leaned into him. He embraced me and whispered in my ear.

"I'm really glad you are okay, Opie." His voice was soft and calming. "Les was a mess when you left. You don't want to know what we had to do to keep him from trying to find you."

He pulled back and tucked my hair behind my ear, studying my face.

"Did he get to you in time?" He asked, looking into my eyes. I knew what he was asking. When I opened my mouth to ask how he knew he shook his head. "Opie…your phone. I had an open line the whole time."

"Oh God." I gasped, and pressed my hand over my mouth; tears falling down my cheeks. He pulled me back into his embrace. "Does anyone else know?"

"No." He whispered, laying a kiss to the side of my face. "I couldn't tell by sound alone, but I was terrified that he was going to be late."

"He made it just in time." I shuddered, remembering how close I really came. He nodded and let out a breath. "Thank you for everything, Ranger."

"No price." He smiled, pushing back and looking me in the eyes; a hand on either shoulder. "You are family. There is NEVER a price."

I nodded.

"Now, go back to Santos before he has a coronary." He laughed.

I turned and saw Les standing next to Diesel; his blank face in place. I ran to him and a smile spread across his face as I pressed myself against him.

"Let's go home." I said, reaching up on my tiptoes to place a soft kiss on his lips. "I need you to hold me and convince me that I am really here."

"I can do that, Gorgeous." He picked me up and began walking through the mess of Merry Men. "In fact, I think that we both need that right about now."

"I love you, Lester Santos."

"I love you, Ophelia Cummings." He kissed my nose. "And I am going to spend the rest of my life making sure that you remember that."

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So, I am sure that you were all expecting some awesome smutty goodness at the end of this story. I assure you that they did have sex and it was as amazing as you imagine it would be. Normally, I would be all over writing some good smut, but I think that with this story it was more important for them to acknowledge their love without sex getting in the way. Hopefully you enjoyed this story. Please review and let me know what you thought and even if you think there was something just not right. As always, I appreciate you all taking the time to read my dribble. Look for new stories coming soon.


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